Truce
by Jajuin
Summary: Arnold tries to tell Helga something... but never seems to get to the point. The obstacles just never seem to stop coming.
1. Chapter 1

Truce.

'We need to talk.'

Her eyes widen at those words. Her heart thumps at the sound of that voice. **His** voice.

'Helga?' The voice asks, no doubt with a furrowed brow on his face, that football shaped head tilted to one side in that ridiculously adorable way. _Crimeny Helga, TURN AROUND!_

'What Football Head?' Helga rolls her eyes as she turns to face him. The tough-girl façade falters for the slightest moment as she takes in every fine detail of his face; as the sudden gust of wind forces his scent into her nostrils._ Please don't let him see that, please._

He stands there with his arms folded, as if waiting for something. An eyebrow arches up and he gives her a look that says 'You're forgetting something'. Then it clicks.

'Oh, right. Sorry Arnold, I guess old habits die hard,' Helga laughs nervously and shrugs. She completely forgot about the truce they came up with last week. Seemingly satisfied with her reaction, he shakes his head and smiles.

'Hey, at least you didn't shove me to side and walk off like last time,' he says as he leans against the wall.

'Don't think it didn't cross my mind. You're lucky I didn't actually do it,' Helga says, thinking back to all those times she acted so harshly towards him, never giving him the time of day. _Oh, what was I thinking? I'm such an idiot._ She sighs heavily and mentally prepares herself for the worst. 'So what is it you wanted to talk about?' she says, trying to sound cool and indifferent, but couldn't stop that tremor in her voice from showing. Her mind panics as she sees that Arnold registers something in his head. _He noticed. Crap._

'Well—' he begins, but stops abruptly when something behind Helga catches his eye.

'Hello Arnold. It's oh-so wonderful to meet you here,' Helga stiffens as she recognizes the owner of that dainty voice. Slowly turning around, she comes face to face with no other but Lila. She curses inwardly. _Oh-so wonderful indeed._

'Lila,' Helga says, feigning pleasant surprise in her voice. 'What a coincidence that you're here as well! Can I help you with something?' She smiles, teeth gritted together. Out of the corner of her eye she sees that Arnold is looking straight at her with a puzzled look written all over his face.

_Stop it, Helga. Lila never did anything to you, except steal Arnold's attention away. But he doesn't know that, does he? Don't lead him on._

Lila doesn't notice Helga's facial expression as she continues to talk to Arnold. 'Actually I was on my way to the library. Have you been there recently Arnold? They just brought in a whole new selection of books, it's just—'

'Wonderful?' Helga cut in sarcastically. _Shut up, Helga._

'Yes, oh-so wonderful. You should go Arnold,' she carries on.

'Uh, now?' he asks, looking back and forth between Helga and Lila.

'Well, if you want,' Lila says, twirling the end of her hair braid with her finger. Helga rolls her eyes. _Pfft, and she says she doesn't like him. Sure doesn't act like it_. Arnold takes a moment to think, then his eyes darted to Helga's for a second.

'Nah, maybe next time,' he decides, throwing an apologetic look at Lila. 'Thanks, anyway. I'll be sure to check out the new books soon.' Helga tries her best not to let that smile creep to the edges of her lips.

'Oh, okay. See you Arnold. Bye Helga,' Lila says with slight disappointment in her voice and walks off. Inwardly Helga breathes a small sigh of relief. _Good riddance._

'So…' Arnold begins again, catching Helga's full attention. He pauses, thinking of the best way to say it. 'I was thinking—'

'Helga!' another voice interrupts their conversation. Exasperated, Helga turns around angrily to see Phoebe running up the pavement. 'You have to see this!' she thrusts a poster into Helga's hands. She reads the flyer and a wide smile spreads across her face.

'I have to see this!' Helga exclaims. 'Do you know how often she comes into town, let alone do a recitation? I can't miss this!'

'I've got it covered. My parents got us seats already!' Phoebe says, beaming.

'You're kidding me. Pheebs, I don't know what I'd do without you,' Helga says and puts an arm around her best friend. Arnold watches silently as this unfolds in front of him. He's never seen her so excited about something.

'I should go now, I just ran here to tell you that. See ya!' Phoebe says, and just as quick as she came, she left.

'What was that about?' Arnold asks, though he already knows the answer.

'Sheila Canton is coming into town tomorrow night and she's doing a poetry recitation at the Coffee bean,' Helga says, remembering the stacks of poetry books she has in her closet. 'You know how much I like poetry.'

'Yeah, I do know. When I saw the flyer the other day I thought you knew about it already.'

'Well, I didn't,' she says, wondering where this conversation is going. He spaces out for a bit. 'Arnold, you were saying?' she prompts.

Arnold snaps out of it and tries to gather his thoughts. He shakes his head and smiles. 'It's nothing, I'll tell you tomorrow. I gotta go, Grandpa said he needed help with something.'

Arnold turns around and walks off to his house, leaving Helga to stand there in puzzlement. She shrugs and walks in the opposite direction to her house. _Well, since he says he's gonna tell me tomorrow, he'll tell me tomorrow._ She sighs in disappointment._ I wish he could go with us to the show._

While walking, Arnold reaches into his pocket and pulls out two tickets to Sheila Canton's show. He shakes his head ruefully. _Looks like I have to think up some cover story to tell her tomorrow._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!

(Though I do wish it was continued. AT LEAST MAKE THE SECOND MOVIE. Hmph.)

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><p>"I was thinking of throwing a party this weekend, but didn't think there was any real reason for it," Gerald says while lounging on the couch in Arnold's room.<p>

"No, she might just tell me to throw one. That'll be another problem," Arnold says as he paces, thinking of what to tell Helga the next day.

"There's a new movie coming out soon," he tries again. "I was wondering if you'd wanna watch it."

"No, what new movie? I can't say that," Arnold says and shakes his head vigorously. "Besides, then she'll think I'm trying to ask her out."

"Isn't that what you tried to do anyway?" Gerald asks and gives Arnold a pointed look.

"Well, yeah but…" he trails off, thinking. "A movie doesn't mean anything to her. Poetry, it just… connects to a different side of her."

"One that I haven't actually seen yet, that 'nice Helga' you keep talking about," Gerald rolls his eyes, trying to recall the last time he's seen Arnold so worked up about a girl like this. _He's gone all gooey and gaga for Ruth and Lila before, but this whole thing with Helga is a completely new level. Must be hormones or somethin'._

Arnold thinks back to when he first discovered,** really discovered** how much Helga loves poetry.

* * *

><p>"Okay class, this week's assignment is going to be, wait for it," Miss Wells paused for dramatic effect. "Shakespeare," she ended, expecting to create a buzz in the class. No one so much as nodded in acknowledgement. She sighed and shook her head sadly at the minimal response she got. "Whether you people like it or not, we're going to study his work, act out his plays and immerse ourselves in his poems. Now, I've taken out a few books from the school's library…" she continued on with the lesson and passed around a few alarmingly large books. Arnold wasn't very excited about doing Shakespeare, but he didn't really mind. By coincidence he happened to glance at Helga from across the room, and he noticed something was different about her facial expression. It was like she tried not to smile, or look too excited. <em>Helga's… happy about this?<em>

"Now, I want everyone to pair up and select a work of Shakespeare's to present to the class next week," Miss Wells said and an audible grumble was sounded by the students. Acting as if she didn't hear anything, she continued on. "I'm choosing the pairings, so don't try to weasel your way out of this assignment by saying you couldn't find a partner." Yet another wave of grumbles came.

"Do we get anything if we actually do any good?" someone spoke up from behind. Arnold thought it sounded like Stinky.

Miss Wells thought for a moment and nodded. "Fine then, I'll make this a competition. The best pair that presents their piece will be exempted from writing the 2000-word essay I was planning to give at the end of next week." The class erupted into a mess of 'what?' and 'no way' and 'I've got this in the bag'. "Now, now, will everyone please calm down? I'm not finished," Miss Wells said and the whole class fell silent. "That's better. Second placing will have the essay reduced to one thousand words and third will have to do one thousand and five hundred words."

"Not much of a difference," Gerald muttered from behind Arnold.

"Would you like to make it three thousand words, Gerald?" Miss Wells said, looking straight at him through her rimless glasses.

"NO!" the entire class roared, some getting up from their seats in protest, while others glared intensely at Gerald. She looked intently at Gerald, waiting for him to speak up. "No, Miss Wells," he said and kept his head down.

She smiled tightly. "Let's move on then," she said and ran her finger down a list. "Okay and the pairings are…" she read out the names, and one after another heads started turning towards their new partners. Arnold waited and listened for her to say his name. "…Rhonda and Harold, Arnold and Helga, Sid and Stinky…"

_Wait, what?_ Arnold's head shot up at the sound of his name and Helga's in the same breath. He turned in her direction to see she was looking at him too, eyes as wide as dinner plates. _Just my luck, she's gonna make my life a living hell this week. _Arnold was about to get up and walk over to her place until she suddenly asked to be excused. Surprised, Arnold at back and watched her leave the classroom. _I'll just wait and talk to her when she gets back, I guess. _But he didn't get the chance to talk to her because she never came back to class.

When the bell rang, he picked up his stuff and left the classroom. Out in the hallway by the drinking fountain, he saw Brainy lying on the floor. _Looks like someone punched him again. _Arnold sighed as he helped him back up on his feet. _Someone should really find out who keeps doing this._

A few steps down the hallway he bumped into Helga.

"Watch it Football Head! You almost poked my eye out; I might not even have lived to start this stupid project with you," she sneered. "I probably would've been saved from misery, though." She started picking up her books and got up. Arnold did the same.

"Hey, I don't like this arrangement as much as you do but we don't have a choice," he glared back at her. "What happened to you just now anyway?" Arnold suddenly asked, catching Helga off guard. She turned crimson-red and looked away.

"Uh…n-nothing," she said, apparently at a loss for words. She regained composure and her face reverted back to her signature scowl. "What's it you? It's none of your business, so just back off already!" she snapped.

Arnold was taken aback at her sudden anger. "Helga—"

"Like I was saying," she cut in. "I'm only gonna do this because I don't want to write that stupid essay, so we better win this thing." Her mood changed again to bossy Helga. "So meet me in the library after school today. I just wanna get this done and over with so I can get back to more important things to do," she said and stormed off.

Arnold watched her retreating back with a furrowed brow. _Why do I have to be stuck with her? Of all people in the world, why her?_ He shook his head and headed to his next class.

After school, he went into the library and saw no one sitting at the tables. _She's late. I wonder if she's even coming._ He set his books down on one of the tables and approached the counter. "Hi Mrs. Thatcher. Did you see Helga come in today?" he asked the librarian.

The wise-looking lady looked up from what looked like an encyclopedia and smiled. "Oh yes, Helga. She's down in her favourite section, been here since the bell rang." Arnold wondered which section she was referring to, but guessed it would be somewhere along the sports section or magazine section. He started walking to the left side of the library when Mrs. Thatcher spoke up. "Not that way, sweetie. The Art and Literature section is on the right side."

He was surprised to hear this, but moved there nonetheless. As he neared the bookshelves, he heard a faint voice from deep within the aisles. It was someone – a girl – softly reciting a poem. He recognized it was Shakespeare, but he couldn't recognize the voice. _It can't be Helga._ Everything about that voice was sweet, tender and sincere; so full of heartfelt passion. _It really can't be her. _But as he rounded the corner of the aisle he saw it was Helga, sitting on the floor. A few books were opened and scattered all around her and even more in a stack to her right, just waiting to be read. She didn't notice Arnold's arrival, she just kept reading. Arnold watched, mouth slightly agape. _Who knew?_

Helga finished and looked up to stretch her neck. That's when she saw who was standing a few feet away from her. Startled, she quickly got up, knocking a few books off their shelves. Her face was a deep red, eyes searching around the library in a panicked way. _Probably wishing she was somewhere else but here._

But Arnold didn't care that she thought it was embarrassing. He didn't care that Helga was glaring at him, either from anger or embarrassment. All he knew was one thing. "So you like poetry," he whispered and smiled. Helga turned a deeper shade of red.

"So what if I do?" she said defensively, hastily picking up the books that were strewn all over the floor and put them back on the shelves. He stopped her and took them from her hands.

"I think it's nice," he said. She just looked at him, not knowing what to say. "Let's use these books and get started on the project." He looked at her for a moment. "Unless you suggest some other book? I mean, you're the expert." She smiled – briefly – and picked up a book from one of the shelves.

"This one's better." She led the way to one of the tables and they got started on their work. After a few hours, they were almost done. "Not bad, Football Head, not bad at all."

"I could say the same to you," he replied and her face flushed pink. "Why don't you want people to know how much you like poetry?" he asked, looking at her straight in the eye, but not unkindly.

She looked at him, thinking whether to answer the question or not. "I don't know. I guess it makes me look weak. I mean, who'd be scared of someone who writes poems and talks like everything is 'full of unspoken realities', if that makes any sense," she shrugged. "I've got an image to keep up with here."

"First of all, I don't think that did make sense," he said jokingly, which was replied with soft punch on the arm from Helga. "Second of all, who says that makes you weak? Because it doesn't. Strength isn't just physical, you know. Third of all, why do you want to keep up that tough image?" he asked. "Don't you get tired of it?"

Helga was silent for a while. "I have to keep up the image because…" she trailed off, thinking of the best way to put it. Finally she sighed. "I just have to," she said and that was it. End of discussion. Arnold decided to let it go. _ Can't expect her to open up about everything._

It was getting late, so Arnold thought it would be best to walk her home. For once, they just talked. No sneering, no insulting. _She's being nice to me. So Helga is human._ When they reached Helga's doorstep it was almost dark.

"You better hurry home, it's really late," she said and they said goodbye. As Arnold was walking down the sidewalk, he heard her say something else. "Arnold!" He turned around to see her still on the porch steps, almost opening the door. "I do get tired of it. That's why the past few hours were like a day off. Thanks," she said and smiled. A real, genuine smile. Arnold smiled back as she walked in. He went home with a small skip in his step.

* * *

><p>Arnold smiles at the memory, oblivious to Gerald's attempts to get his attention.<p>

"Arnold!" Gerald says loudly, shaking him from his thoughts. "Seriously, man, get a grip. Now, you've got a whole night to think about what to tell her. You better think of something good." Gerald makes his way to the door. "You know, if it's too hard, then just tell her the truth. She's not gonna kill you or anything." With that he steps out onto the sidewalk. _At least I hope she won't._

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><p>To those whose have reviewed, thank you so so so much! :)<p>

It means a lot to me that you took the time to post a review.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I **do not** own Hey Arnold!

Still wish the second movie came out... the world is unfair. :'(

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><p>After Gerald leaves, Arnold still couldn't think of what to tell Helga. He walks into the kitchen and sees Grandpa sitting at the table, eating. Grandma is at the stove frying bacon. 'Uhh, Grandma?" Arnold says, eyeing her from the doorway. "Are you making breakfast?"<p>

"Well of course, silly. Young men heading off to battle need their strength," she says as she swings the spatula up in the air. "You need to kick those Red Coats in the butt and live to tell the tale!"

Arnold sighs and shakes his head. "Grandma, it's almost dinner." She pays no attention and keeps frying. Suddenly she starts humming the national anthem and marches back and forth, waving the spatula in the air. Arnold looks to Grandpa for help.

"Just let it go, Shortman. Pookie, stop that the bacon is getting burnt! I'm not gonna put that stuff in my mouth!" he says and puts his fork down. "Why the long face, Arnold?" he turns his attention back. "Did ya ask Helga to go to that show with ya?"

"Uh, no," he replies shortly and sits at the table. He buries is face in his hands and grumbles.

"Chickened out, didya? When I was your age and I wanted to ask out a girl, I just did it! Look at Pookie for example," he says and points at Grandma. "When I tried to ask her out on a date I went for it without thinking twice."

"Of course I said no at first. But then he kept begging—"

"That's not important right now," Grandpa cuts in and Arnold tries his best to hide a smile. "The point is, you don't hold back. Just go for it and things will work out for the best."

"I tried, but she's already going with Phoebe," Arnold says.

"Why don't ya go with them? You already have the tickets."

"Nah, I don't think I want to." _I can't go, what would be weird. She knows I'm not that interested in poetry. Who would I go with? Gerald doesn't like it either. Gerald..._

Arnold's head snaps up as an idea forms in his head. He smiles as he gets up to leave the kitchen. "Thanks, Grandpa!" he yells over his back.

"You're welcome!" he says cheerily. "What did I do?" he asks Grandma with a confused look on his face.

"Beats me," she says and drops some more bacon on his plate. "Now, time to make some omelets!"

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Gerald answers his house phone a few minutes later.<p>

"Gerald, I've got it! We could go to the show too!" Arnold says excitedly, almost jumping up and down in the hallway.

"What? Why would I wanna go to some stupid poetry recital? They're probably gonna be all dressed in black and talk about how life is depressing or something. That's not how I roll, man."

"Come on, please? I can't go by myself, that would be awkward." Arnold could feel his optimism deflating.

"And you think me being there is gonna help? Dude, we're gonna stick out like sore thumbs!" Gerald reasons, rubbing his forehead. _What is this guy thinking?_

"But Phoebe's gonna be there too," Arnold says, hoping to catch Gerald's interest.

"Phoebe?" Gerald's voice goes up an octave. Arnold smiles at the other end of the line. _Yes! I knew he would take the bait. _"Well, maybe I'd consider, but if we go, we'd still look out of place. What reason could we possibly give to explain why we're there?"

"You could say your mom got the tickets but didn't wanna go because she has to go to work or something. So she made you go and you had to drag me along too," Arnold says smoothly, imagining how things would play out. "Then we would all sit together at the same table." Arnold's speech increases in speed. "Then you get to spend time with Phoebe while I get to spend more time with Helga. It's the perfect plan!"

"Okay, okay, calm down already. Don't hurt yourself." A short pause ensues as Gerald thinks it over. "Fine," he sighs in defeat. "I'll go with it. You owe me one."

"Definitely," Arnold says with a huge smile on his face. "Thanks Gerald, I'll see you tomorrow," he says and hangs up.

Gerald looks at the receiver when the phone clicks. He shakes his head and puts it down. _Poor guy has gone nuts. Hey, at least I get something out of it too_. Gerald smiles as images and memories of Phoebe cloud his mind.

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><p>"What was it that he wanted to talk about?" Phoebe asked over the phone later that night. "From the looks of it, it must've been pretty important."<p>

"Why would you say that?" Helga asks while twirling the phone's cord around her fingers.

"Well, he looked really flustered, like he was trying really hard to say something," Phoebe says and pauses for a moment. "Did he actually get to mention what it was? Even a tiny hint?"

"Nope," Helga replies, putting emphasis on the 'p'. "He did say he'll tell me tomorrow, and I'll take his word on that. But if he doesn't…" Helga leaves the threat hanging in the air.

Phoebe, knowing it's an empty threat, says nothing. _The two are such good terms now; she wouldn't risk anything like that._ "Aren't you even the least bit curious, though?" she prompted. "I mean, from what you've told me, he tried telling you a few times. You guys just got interrupted a lot."

_Of course I'm curious, whaddya think I've been thinking about all day long?_ "Why are you digging into this so much, Pheebs? It's not a big deal or anything. I mean, it's not as if he was gonna propose to me or something," Helga scoffed loudly. _Or was he? Pfft, snap out of it Helga, of course he wasn't trying to! If he did, though… That would've been so… _Helga sighs, in that love-sick way. Then she hears someone clearing their throat. "Oh, right. Sorry about that Pheebs."

"It's okay," Phoebe says, already used to Helga's crazy love-struck antics. _I wonder…no, I better not tell her_. "Hey, it's getting late, maybe we should go to sleep. Big day tomorrow!" she says cheerfully, trying to get Helga's mind off of Arnold. "The once in a lifetime opportunity awaits us!"

"Got that right," Helga says on the other end, and Phoebe could hear the slight change in her voice. "Well, I guess it is time to hit the hay. See ya," she says and hangs up.

Phoebe puts down the receiver slowly. "Bye, Helga. Sweet dreams," she whispers.

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><p>Does it not make much sense? Sorry about that.<p>

Thanks again to all of you who have reviewed, favourited, (is that a word? Haha) and just plain **read** this story! :)

Oh, and I'm sorry this one's short plus the fact it was posted a day later than intended. Sorry~!


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry this took a while, I couldn't think of what to write. Writer's block is over, though! :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any of it's characters.**

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><p><em>I still need a story to tell her tomorrow. Or maybe I should just tell her the truth – or part of it<em>.

"Hi, Helga. You know that show Phoebe mentioned yesterday? Yeah, that one. Uh, looks like I'm going too! Gerald's mom asked me to go with him, they have extra tickets…" Arnold tries to say out loud, checking what it sounds like. "No, that isn't right." He thinks again. "I was going to tell you about how Gerald asked me to go with him to the show, but when Phoebe told you that she already had tickets I didn't want to spoil the surprise so soon… No, that doesn't work either," Arnold says and shakes his head.

"Hey Shortman!" Arnold hears Grandpa say outside his door. "I see the lights are off, but it sure doesn't sound like you're sleeping!"

"Uh, sorry Grandpa," Arnold says hurriedly. "I'm gong going to sleep now. Goodnight!"

"Kids," Grandpa says with a small chuckle. Arnold hears his footsteps as he walks down the staircase and the soft click of the door closing. Arnold decides to sleep anyway. _No use in staying up all night and thinking about it now. I'll just see how it goes tomorrow_. He tries to sleep, but his mind refuses to shut off.

Lying on his bed, Arnold looks up at the starry sky and sighs. _Of all nights, why does it have to be this one that I can't sleep?_

Somewhere across town, Helga is thinking the same thing._ Why can't I sleep? Is it because of the show? Or… is it because of Arnold?_ Helga thinks back to the conversation she had with him that afternoon. _He did look like he really wanted to tell me something. If it was so important, why didn't he just say it?_ She sighs and keeps tossing and turning in her bed. _Okay, Helga, think. What's happening now that he might wanna mention to you about?_ She wracks her brain searching for an answer, but nothing comes to mind._ Man, all this thinking is draining me. Hey, at least I can get some shut eye_. She closes her eyes, and the next thing she remembers is seeing Arnold's face. _Ah, my love._ A small smile creeps to her lips as she falls asleep.

* * *

><p>The bell rings as Helga finishes writing her essay; the one Miss Wells ended up giving everyone anyway, despite the competition. She gathers her books and makes to leave the library. "See you tomorrow Mrs. Thatcher," she says as she passes by the counter.<p>

"Goodbye, Helga dear. Have a safe trip home!" She says warmly and returns to reading. _Man, doesn't she ever do anything else?_ Helga can't help but smile affectionately, thinking that she is one of the few people who sees Helga for who she really is, not just the school bully. _Though I have stopped randomly insulting people lately, I wonder why_. Helga ponders this as she steps onto the sidewalk, unknowingly walking straight in the direction of a boy with an oblong shaped head.

"Hi, Helga."

The familiar voice stops her in her tracks. She looks up from the pavement and sees Arnold standing in front of her, just inches away. Helga jumps back slightly, startled at his close proximity. "W-what are you doing here, Arnoldo?" she says nastily, covering her embarrassment at the light shade of pink creeping up her neck.

"I was just… walking," he says simply. Helga could see a few books stacked under his arm. He notices where she's looking and a small smile appears. "Oh, yeah, I'm going to the library to return these books, too."

"Oh, and uh… w-why were you so close to me?" Helga cringes inwardly. _I don't think that came out right. Darn it._

Arnold smirks just a little at her poor choice of words. _That's not like her, she's always so articulate._ "Actually I just stopped you from bumping into me. If not we'd be on the ground right about now."

"Uh, excuse me? Me, bump into you? I think it's the other way around, Bucko," Helga says defensively. Though Helga is silently relieved at the fact that they didn't bump into each other. _That would've been embarrassing_. "Now if you don't mind, I've got better things to do right now. Step aside, please." Helga stands there, waiting for him to move but surprisingly, he doesn't. He stares at her, dumbfounded. "What?" she says, exasperated.

"You said please," he says dumbly, still staring at her.

"Well, duh. Thanks for telling me that, Captain Obvious. It's called manners, and if you had any you would stop looking at me like that." Helga folds her arms and raises one side of her unibrow.

"No, it's just that… you always just shove me to the side and walk off." He says slowly, still confused and trying to grasp the situation.

"So I'm in a good mood today, what's it to you?" Helga says, puzzled as to why he's saying this. "Would you prefer it the other way around? Fine." Helga pushes him aside and starts walking. "What a weirdo," she says, mostly to herself, but loud enough for him to hear.

Arnold watches her walk, thinking for a moment. "Helga, wait!" he says and runs to catch up with her. Since puberty has kicked in, he's grown taller than her already so he manages to keep pace with her in no time. She refuses to look at him and tries to ignore him. "I'm sorry about that," he blurted out suddenly, which stops her in her tracks.

Helga looks at him, puzzled. "Sorry about what?"

"The whole thing back there," he says, waving him free arm in the direction of which they stood just now. "I mean, I shouldn't be surprised about you acting nice—"

"That wasn't me being nice," Helga interrupted. "Like I said, it's manners. Don't get used to it," she says and starts walking again. _He looks so cute when he's flustered. _A small smile appears on her face and she almost giggles. _Crimeny Helga, get a grip!_ The smile vanishes and she struggles to keep a straight face as he calls out her name again.

"Helga!" he tries again, catching up to her once more.

"I thought you said you have library books to return," she says sarcastically. "The library is in the other direction, genius."

"They can wait. Helga, just stop and listen for a minute," he says, almost begging. His tone stops her from walking a step further and she turns to face him. _I wonder what this is about…_

"Why don't we just stop all this?" he says and Helga's face is blank.

"Stop what?" she asks, head tilted to one side and arms folded again.

"You know; everything. Insulting each other, getting on each other's nerves… let's start over. As friends," he finished. He looks at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Like… a truce?" she says uncertainly. _A truce! That would be perfect; I can be nice to him now without anyone suspecting anything. Sooner or later he'll start to like me and then he'll begin to see his real feelings towards me—love. Oh Arnold my darling, you're a genius!_

"Yeah, something like that," he says and smiles. Helga's heart skips a beat and she tries not to faint. "So what do you say?" he says and stretches an arm out.

Helga smiles and takes up the offer with a handshake. "Deal. But you have to remind me sometimes. I might forget and be mean to you again."

"Oh I don't think that'll happen," he says confidently and lets go of her hand. Helga sighs inwardly. _If only he held on a bit longer…_

* * *

><p>Helga is jolted awake by the sound of her alarm clock. She yawns and rubs her sleepy eyes, trying to remember what she dreamt of the previous night. <em>Oh, right. The day Arnold and I became friends. Just friends, though<em>. The thought makes her chest tighten. _Not to worry, in time he'll see the light, and we'll be together. I know it'll happen._

She gets up from her bed and walks over to her closet. Quietly, she closes the door and steps behind a line of clothing. Hidden from anyone not looking is a secret compartment in the wall. She opens it and takes in a breath at the sight of her lifelong work: the Arnold Shrine. _I'll never grow out of this, will I?_ She chuckles quietly. _Maybe I'll stop when the real Arnold is mine. Maybe._ She takes out the heart-shaped locket containing Arnold's picture and places it right in front of the shrine.

"Oh, Arnold," she says, eyes half-lidded and head tilted sideways. "How could you keep me waiting for so long? I've been so nice to you lately and you still see me the same way. When will you realize I'm the one? When will you finally reciprocate these feelings I've been harbouring all these years?" She places her hands over her heart, feeling like it might explode. "What more can I do? How can I make you see all this without exposing myself too much? The world isn't ready to see Helga G. Pataki pour her heart out in public; they aren't ready to see me be so vulnerable and weak. Oh, Arnold—"

"Helga!" a female voice yelled her name, muffled by the soft, padded surroundings Helga is sitting in. Helga sighs and the love-sick expression turns to one of annoyance. She carefully takes the locket and closes the compartment, once again hidden from prying eyes. "Helga!" the voice calls again, getting nearer. Helga quickly steps out of her closet and closes the door.

"What?" she says as her bedroom door opens and her mother's head pops through.

"Helga, how many times do I have to call you? Hurry up and eat breakfast," Miriam says.

"Wait, you made breakfast?" Helga asks incredulously.

Miriam sighs and gives her an apprehensive look. "Well of course I did, what kind of mother do you think I am?"

_I hope that's a rhetorical question._

"Now hurry up and get dressed! We have guests," she says and leaves Helga's room.

"Guests?" Helga asks, but waves it off. "Must be Bob's work people." Nonetheless, Helga's early morning Arnold session has been interrupted and she doesn't feel like going back in. She decides to get dressed anyway and grab something to eat. _Come to think of it, I'm starving._

Helga is walking down the stairs when she hears her dad talking to someone in the living room.

"I gotta say Alex; it's nice to see you again. The last time I saw you, you were still using a car seat!" Bob says. Helga is surprised; the only time he sounds so glad to see someone is when he meets Olga. She steps into the living room to see a group of strangers sitting on the couch. "Ah, Helga! Come here, girl."

Helga slowly walks to her father's side, all the while giving a once over to each of the people sitting on the couch opposite her. _Four people. Hmm, must be a family. That guy's the dad;_ she directs her thoughts to a man with slightly graying hair and spectacles. _That must be the mom;_ she looks over to a woman in a pencil skirt and pearls, with bright red lipstick on. _There's the daughter;_ her eyes dart to a little blonde girl with pigtails and a bow. _Looks familiar, all that's missing is the pink dress and unibrow. Ah, that must be— _she looks to the last person on the couch; a boy in a white t-shirt and jeans. His piercing blue eyes make her heart skip a beat. She looks away quickly_. Wait, that's new. Usually only Arnold can do that to me._ Helga looks at him again, carefully this time. _Why is he… familiar somehow?_

"Helga, these are the Robinsons." Bob says. "They're old friends of mine. That's Fred," he says, indicating the older gentleman. "Louise," he points to the woman. "Sally," he moves on to the little girl. "And Alex," he finishes, with a slight change in tone at the mention of the name.

"We've met," Alex speaks up and Helga is taken aback. _We have…?_ Alex gives Helga a huge smile; then everything comes rushing back. Her eyes widen as she remembers who he is, how they met; everything.

"Uh, yeah, we have," she says lamely and starts moving towards the kitchen. Giving a brief smile to everyone in the room – except Alex – she excuses herself. "I think I'll help Mom in the kitchen."

Out in the hallway where they couldn't see her, Helga slinks down to the floor. _Oh, man. This is really messed up._

* * *

><p>Okay, so if you're wondering, the Robinsons are OCs that somehow just popped up. I figured this story is becoming too predictable so there you go. DON'T KILL ME FOR IT PLEASE!<p>

I really want to know what you guys think of it, so please let me know via reviews!

Thanks also to those who have reviewed, I'm an forever grateful! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: **I do not own Hey Arnold!**

Still want that movie. Grr.

* * *

><p>Helga quickly eats breakfast, refusing to look at anyone or anything except her plate. She ignores any type of conversation anyone tries to start, especially Alex. "I'm done," she says the moment she stuffs the last piece of toast into her mouth and gulps it down. "It was nice meeting everyone, but I have a prior engagement to attend." Without waiting for a reply from either her parents or the guests, she puts her plate in the kitchen sink and enters the hallway. Quietly, she picks up the phone's receiver and dials a number.<p>

"Moshimoshi," a tiny voice answers on the other end after a few rings. "Phoebe speaking."

"Pheebs? It's Helga. I need to talk to you now. Meet me at the park in ten," Helga says hurriedly in a low voice and hangs up. Sensing someone behind her, she turns and sees Alex leaning against the wall, a small smile on his face.

"Is someone avoiding me?" he says, voice as smooth as silk. He chuckles quietly at seeing Helga's expression, a mixture of shock and embarrassment.

"W-what? I'm not avoiding anyone, I think you're imagining things," Helga says, slowly inching towards the door.

"Is that so?" he asks again, not missing Helga's 'subtle' movements. She nods and gives him a tight smile. "Then why are you so eager to leave?" He begins to move in her direction as well. "Why haven't you spoken a single word to me since I got here?"

"Like I said, I've got to be somewhere else. Can't keep them waiting, now can I?" Helga is almost at the door when he says something that stops her from opening it and bolting out.

"It's no use trying to pretend nothing happened," he says, the smile replaced with a look of… sadness? Regret? Helga couldn't be sure.

She looks at him, trying to read his face. "I'm not trying to pretend," she says and opens the door. "Because nothing happened." She closes the door and practically runs to the park, hoping he won't come after her.

She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees the arch at the park's entrance. She slows her pace to a walk and stops under the shade of a tree. Tired from running and from her encounter with Alex, she leans against the tree and sighs deeply.

"Helga, what's wrong?" Phoebe asks, concern written all over her face at the sight of her best friend's depressed expression. _The moment I walk in here I see her like this? Not good, not good at all_. "Did something happen?"

"Oh, something happened alright. It happened so quickly I couldn't even think straight! Oh, why now? Why? When things were going so well between me and Arnold. I thought today would be one of the best days of my life, but no; this just had to happen. Why did it have to happen? Life sucks," Helga keeps on rambling and pacing back and forth.

"Helga?" Phoebe says helplessly, thinking of the best way to handle this. "Helga!" she says more forcefully, so much that Helga snaps out of it and looks at her. "What are you talking about? What happened?" Phoebe lays a hand on Helga's shoulder and sits her down on a bench. "I'll try my absolute best to help."

"I don't think this can be helped," Helga says sadly, staring blankly into space. She sighs and straightens up. "Okay, here goes. I should've told you his earlier Pheebs, but I guess I just forgot."

"Listening," Phoebe says in a sing-song voice.

* * *

><p>"We're going to London!" Bob announces as he walks through the door. Helga is on the couch, randomly flicking through channels on the TV. She looks up in interest and smiles.<p>

"London? What for?" she asks, not without caution. _Could it really just be for a vacation? I doubt it._

"Well, we have to show up at a conference—"

"Oh, no. You're not dragging me halfway across the world to listen to some stupid talk about who-knows-what for who-knows-how-long," she says and turns her head to the TV again.

"Hey, watch it little missy. Who says you're going to go to the conference? You're not old enough. So do you want to go or not?" he adds with a hint of annoyance.

"Not old enough?" Helga questions and shrugs. _What could that be about?_ "Oh well. As long I stay away from it, I'm good. So when are we leaving?" she says with a wide smile spread across her face.

"Pack your bags, Helga. We're taking off tomorrow morning."

* * *

><p>"Wait, you went to London?" Phoebe interrupts, seemingly surprised. "When?"<p>

"Two years ago during the summer," Helga replies shortly, too busy trying to remember what happened to be angry that she was interrupted.

"Oh, yes. That's was the summer my family and I went back to Japan," she nods solemnly, remembering. "Continue, please."

* * *

><p>The weather in London is still cool, despite being in the middle of summer. Helga finds it as a relief; normally the family would go to an island, or somewhere tropical. The heat would be almost excruciating. After checking in at the hotel, Bob and Miriam leave to go to that conference, whatever it's about.<p>

"Are you sure don't want to come with us?" Miriam asks just before they step out the door. "I don't feel comfortable leaving you here by yourself; you could sit around the café nearby or something."

"Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine. I won't go anywhere; the farthest I'll go is the lobby downstairs. Relax," Helga says reassuringly, eager to get them out of the hotel room. "I'll order room service when I get hungry or something."

"Hey, make sure you don't order anything expensive, or you're paying it yourself." Bob speaks up from somewhere in the corridor.

"Yeah, yeah, I won't," she says, waving her hand dismissively.

"Well, we'll be in the event hall just a few blocks away if anything happens," Miriam says and steps out.

"Bye, have fun you two!" Helga says and closes the door. _Finally, I get this place all to myself. _Helga does whatever any other fourteen-year-old girl would do; go crazy in a hotel room. She laughs her head off at jumping on the king-sized bed; she pampers herself with a nice, long bubble bath in the enormous bathtub; she orders delicious food via room service – careful not to choose anything too pricey – and enjoys the amazing view of Hyde Park just outside of her window. "This is the life," she says dreamily while staring out into the city of London.

Spending time in a hotel room can only humour her for so long. Starting to feel restless, Helga has an idea. It wouldn't hurt to look around the hotel a bit. _Jeez, I'm starting to remind myself of Eloise at the Plaza._ Liking the idea, Helga takes the room key and carefully steps out into the hallway. Looking around, she realizes how big the building is. _I wonder if they have a swimming pool or an arcade._ As she walks to the elevator, she glances up and sees the painted ceiling. "Wow," she breathes, impressed by the artistic detail they put into the ceiling. Not realizing where she's going, she knocks into a stranger in the hallway.

"Ouch, watch where you're going you klutz!" she says to a fair-haired boy about her age.

"Me? You were the one who wasn't looking straight! What's so great about the ceiling anyway?" he says and looks up. "Oh," he says lamely, having not noticed it before.

Helga scoffs. "Yeah, 'oh'. Well if you were so busy looking straight, why didn't you just step aside when you saw I was walking towards you?" she folds her arms and looks at him.

"I, uh…" he says, not sure how to answer. "I don't know, I guess I didn't think you'd actually knock me over."

"Knock you over? What am I, an elephant? I'm definitely smaller," she says, slightly annoyed. _Who the heck is this guy?_

"Don't flatter yourself," he says and scoffs.

_WHAT? _"Why, I oughtta—" she begins and raises her fists. "You wanna meet Ol' Betsy and the Five Avengers?"

"Who?" he asks, confused. "You mean that?" he points to her raised fist. When he sees her serious expression he bursts out laughing. "You named your fist? What, do you think you're in some kind of sitcom?"

"Don't push it, Bucko," Helga says, clearly angry. "If we were back home you'd be lying on the floor with a bloody nose right now," she says, momentarily thinking of Brainy.

"Ooh, I'm so scared," he says mockingly, raising his hands to his face. "Pfft, like I'm gonna run away from some girl."

"Oh, I'm not just any girl," she says, sly smile appearing on her face. Taking a step closer until she's right in his face, she says, "I'm Helga G. Pataki."

"And I'm Alex H. Robinson, what's the big deal?" he says, rolling his eyes. Helga is stumped. _Usually that scares people to their wits. Am I losing my touch? Oh, what the heck, I'm not gonna waste my time trying to scare this guy. _Moving back a bit so that she's at a comfortable distance, she sighs and crosses her arms. "Alex, eh? From your accent, I'm guessing you're American too."

"Yeah, so what?" he says, wary at her sudden change of attitude.

"Nothing just thought I'd confirm it. How long have you been here?"

"A few days. You?" he starts relaxing.

"Just got here. Since you've been here longer, any ideas on what to do if you get bored?" she says. _Might as well ask him._

A wide smile stretches across his face. It's almost… mischievous. Helga puts her guard up, but is interested in what this newcomer has to say.

"Well, I have my ways of entertaining myself but I'm not sure if you'd be up to it," he says, tilting his head to one side, blue eyes twinkling.

"Try me," Helga says in a challenging tone. "I'm a tough girl; I can handle myself just fine, thank you very much."

Alex nods in agreement. "Fair enough, you proved that with 'Ol Betsy there," he says and chuckles in amusement.

"Don't forget the Five Avengers," Helga adds and almost smiles herself. _He's not so bad, I guess. Wait… _"Are you being sarcastic?"

He bursts out laughing. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

Helga takes a deep breath and steadies herself. _Calm down, girl. Don't let him get to you_. "So are you gonna let me in on it or what?" she asks, annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah I will. Come on, follow me," he says and goes to the elevator. "I'm gonna show you a side of this hotel not many people get to see." The boyish grin and sparkle in his eye make her heart leap. _Don't go there, Helga. You just met the guy. Besides, Arnold's still back at home waiting for you. Or rather, you're waiting for him to realize he's actually waiting for you._ She looks to Alex from the corner of her eye. _He is kinda cute… but he's still not Arnold._ Helga places a hand over the place where she keeps her locket of Arnold and sighs.

Alex glances at Helga and notices her sudden mood change. "Are you okay?" he asks with a furrowed brow.

"Uh, yeah I'm fine," Helga says and immediately drops her hand to her side. Only then does she notice which level they're on now. "Where are we going?" she asks, looking at the numbers above the door frame. _11…12…13…14… how far up is he taking me?_

"Oh, you'll see," he says and a bell sounds. Helga looks up to see that they've stopped at level 16 of the hotel. The doors open to reveal an open space. "Welcome to the rooftop," Alex says and steps out. Helga follows suit, wondering what his plans are.

"What's so great about the rooftop?" Helga walks further out into the landing to see a spectacular view of the city and whistles in appreciation. "Other than the view, of course. I mean; this isn't 'a side of the hotel not many people get to see', right?" she says, quoting his exact words.

"I'm impressed," he says suddenly.

"By what?" she asks, confused.

"The fact that you remember exactly what I said," he says with a grin.

"Don't get excited. I remember a lot of things accurately," she says in a bored tone. Suddenly she remembers the accuracy of all of her Arnold shrines and chuckles inwardly. "So what's the great surprise?"

Alex smiles sheepishly and walks to the far side of the rooftop. "This," he says and opens a flap in the wall. Helga looks at it warily.

"Looks like a garbage chute," she says bluntly and darts her eyes to Alex. He's standing next to it with a mischievous look on his face. Helga's eyes widen as she realizes what he wants her to do. "You don't expect me to go down there, do you?" her voice goes up a notch. "There's no way," she says and starts to step backwards.

"Why, are you too chicken?" he challenges her. "True; it used to be a garbage chute but they stopped using it because of where it leads."

"And where is that, exactly?" Helga asks, crossing her arms over her chest. He smiles again and points his hand towards the gaping hole in the wall.

"Only one way to find out," he says, that sparkle in his eye returning. "Don't worry, you're not gonna fall into a garbage truck or anything. Just trust me."

The way he said it makes her consider it for a bit. _What do I have to lose?_ "Okay, I'll do it," she sighs in defeat and Alex's grin just keeps getting wider. "You should stop that, one day that smile's gonna get stuck there," she adds as she walks towards the chute.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind that; it drives girls crazy," he says with the most annoying level of confidence.

"Pfft, not me," she scoffs, but she couldn't help but notice the increasing pace of her heartbeats. _It's just because I'm going down a dark scary hole which leads to who-knows-where. No other reason. Okay, here goes. One… two…_

"Just go, already!" Alex says impatiently. "Or else, I'll push you down there myself."

"Hold your horses, I'm going!" Helga rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath. _Three. _She closes her eyes and lets go of the sides. Darkness engulfs her as she zooms down the chute; her heart beating a million times faster as she tries to imagine where she's going to end up. _Please be somewhere nice._ She tries opening her eyes and sees a light up ahead. _I'm almost there…_

She sees herself entering a bright room; she's finally out after what seemed like ages. But she also found herself surrounded by white, soft… _feathers?_ Confused, she looks around and sees a wide sea of feathers all around her. _Where is this?_ Just behind her, she hears a muffled thump. Helga turns around and sees Alex emerging from the hole, feathers flying up from where he landed. He chuckles at her dumbfounded expression.

"Did you like it?" he asks, indicating the hole, then the seas of feathers they were swimming in.

"W-where are we?" Helga stutters out, still too shocked to form long sentences.

"Like I said, they stopped using it as a garbage chute because it leads here; the laundry room," he says with a look of triumph on his face. "And not many people know they turned it into a slide instead; that's why it's so special."

"Oh, Alex!" Helga hears a lady say from somewhere in the room. "It's nice to see you again! Back for another trip, or is it for business this time?"

"Business," he says. "Nice to see you again too, Mrs. Wood." He starts moving to the right. Helga follows him, hoping he's trying to get out. They soon come to a step ladder, not unlike those you see in a swimming pool. They climb out and dust themselves off.

"Who's this little lassie?" a woman – Mrs. Wood – asks, referring to Helga. "A new friend of yours, Alex?" she says with a sheepish smile.

"Yes, a new friend," he says, a slight edge to his voice. He gives her a meaningful look.

"The name's Helga," she says and offers a polite smile. Mrs. Wood smiles warmly back.

"It's nice to meet you, Helga." She turns to Alex. "You two don't get into any trouble now; remember what happened last time?" she says with an apprehensive tone. Alex blushes slightly as he recalls.

"Hey, that wasn't my fault; that guy was asking for it!" he said defensively.

"Alex…" Mrs. Wood began.

"Yes, Mrs. Wood, I'll try my best," he says obediently, then sneaks a wink at Helga. "We'll be going now; Helga hasn't seen the rest of the hotel yet."

Without another word, he grabs Helga's arm and pulls her away. "Hey!" she starts but stops when she sees the look on his face. _He looks so excited; I shouldn't ruin it for him._

"Goodbye, dears!" Mrs. Wood says and shakes her head. "Ah, kids."

Alex continues to show Helga around the hotel and takes her to places she never knew people even have access to.

"How do you know so much about this place?" she asks as they sit at the in-house restaurant. Her eyes light up in delight as the waitress serves them their ice-cream.

"It's on the house," the waitress says and winks at Alex.

"And why are you so famous here? What are you, some kind of celebrity?" she can't help but stare at him in awe.

Alex laughs – it has a way of brightening the atmosphere. "I'm not a celebrity; do you think I'd hang out with you I was one?" Helga flicks a chocolate rice crispy at him. "I come here a lot. Sometimes we come for vacations but other times it's because of my dad's business. Every time though, we stay at this hotel; it's like my second home."

Helga nods, understanding. _Everything makes sense now._ "Sounds pretty cool," she says absentmindedly while eating her ice cream.

"You think so?" Alex says, his tone a bit sad. "I guess it is, but after awhile it's not so great. You get tired of it." Helga keeps quiet, not sure of what to say next. _Maybe he's just lonely._

Helga looks out to see the sky getting darker. She looks to the clock on the wall to see it's almost ten. "Whoa, it's late," she says, panicked. "I mean; I know we're in the hotel and everything but, still." Alex looks up and nods.

"Yeah, it is pretty late." He gets up and looks at her. "Coming or not?"

Helga realizes what he meant and stands up a little too quickly, knocking over her glass. "Oops, sorry," she says and laughs nervously, a red blush creeping up her neck.

Alex chuckles. "And you call me a klutz," he says and gives her a look.

"Hey, I'm not perfect," she says, trying to cover her embarrassment. They walk to the elevator, making small talk all the way up to Helga's floor. To Helga's surprise, he steps out at the same time. "Is your room on this floor too?"

"What? Uh, no it isn't," he says and looks at her weirdly.

"Then, why are you getting off here?" she asks awkwardly, not comprehending.

"Because I'm walking you to your door?" he says almost patronizingly, as if spelling out a word to a four-year-old. "I'm trying to be a gentleman here," he says and smiles.

"Oh," Helga says dumbly. _I'm so dense. Someone shoot me._ They walk down the hall, Alex asking Helga random questions about her life. "Well, this is it," she says when they reach room number 602. "It was nice meeting you, Alex. I had a fun today." She turns to face him to see his sad face. "What's wrong? It's not as if this is the last goodbye or whatever. We'll see each other tomorrow, right?"

"Not really," he says sadly. "I'm leaving first thing tomorrow."

"Oh," Helga says, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. "Well, um…" she trails off, not knowing what to say. "We'll always have London!" she says happily. A split second after she cringes inwardly. _That was cheesy. When did you become so lame, Helga?_

A laugh escapes Alex's lips and he smiles at her. Helga smiles back, registering the back flips her heart is making. "Goodnight, Alex," she says, though she doesn't want to say goodbye so soon.

"Goodbye, Helga," he says. Without any warning, he leans in a gives her a peck on her cheek. Helga blushes madly and is at a loss for words. He just smiles and walks away with his head down.

Helga unlocks her door and is greeted with a scolding by her mother. But she doesn't care nor does she register what her mother is saying. She only has one thing on her mind. _He kissed me. Just on the cheek, but still. He kissed me. The only other person I've kissed is Arnold._ Even with that in mind, Helga smiles. But the thought of never seeing him again makes her frown again. _There's no point in thinking about him now; he's out of my life for good._

* * *

><p>"So that's why you didn't remember him when you saw him this morning," Phoebe says, thinking carefully. "Perhaps your mind was so convinced that you would never meet Alex again that it completely blocked him out."<p>

"Thanks for the psychoanalysis, Pheebs, but that still doesn't solve anything," Helga says, drained from retelling the story.

"Well, how do you feel about him now?" Phoebe asks.

"I don't know," Helga breathes, much to Phoebe's surprise. _She's not sure of her feelings for Arnold anymore? That's… new._

Hidden from the girls' view stood a person behind the tree they were sitting under. He heard the whole thing. _This is gonna break Arnold's heart._

Gerald quietly walks away from the tree, making sure that neither Helga nor Phoebe knows of his presence. _How am I gonna break it to him? Oh man, this isn't good._

* * *

><p>So, thoughts? Don't worry, I'm a huge ArnoldXHelga fan, I'm just trying to make things more complicated. :)<p>

Really long one, isn't it? I just couldn't help myself. ^.^ Thanks again to those who have read and reviewed! May the force be with you. :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!**

* * *

><p><em>Nothing happened?<em> Alex stares at his plate at the dining table, having returned there soon after Helga ran out the door. _How could she say that? Or… was I just imagining things?_

"So Alex," Fred says, bringing him back from his thoughts and to the present. "How exactly did you meet Helga?" he eyes him suspiciously, not knowing that the Patakis had stayed in the same hotel as them all those years ago. "I know I haven't spoken to Bob for a few years now." He smiles briefly to Bob and says, "Sorry about that, buddy."

He waves it off and laughs heartily. "Nah, it's fine. We're both busy men, who could help it?" he says and turns to Alex, sudden interest in his eyes. "So how did you meet Helga?" All eyes move to Alex and he gulps. _I don't like how they're staring at me…_

"Well," he begins, preparing himself to tell the shortened version of his side of the story. _No need to tell them __**everything**__._ "I met her about two years ago," feigning a tone of uncertainty, though he knows in his deep in his gut when exactly he laid his eyes on her. "At the Holiday Inn in London," he says and looks from his father to Helga's. Both of them register a look of shock, and then they turn to face each other.

"You were there?" they say in unison. The looks of disbelief on their faces make Alex laugh, though he tries to stifle it. And so begins a flurry of questions from one family to another.

"What were you doing there for?"

"What a coincidence! How is it that we never ran into each other?"

"Which floor were you staying in?"

"How long were you there for?"

After a while, Alex starts getting dizzy at number of questions bouncing back and forth at the table. "I think I'm going to go get some air," he excuses himself and leaves.

"Wait, I want to go with you!" Sally says and follows him. "Mom, I'm walking out with Alex!" Her mother nods a simple, "Mmhmm, sure honey," and continues her conversation with Miriam.

Once outside, Sally looks at her older brother and thinks carefully about what she's about to say. "That Helga," she begins, then pauses to see how her brother reacts. When he nods in encouragement, she continues. "Is she the reason why you came back so late that time? Why you were so happy when you came through the door?"

Alex is startled by her observation. I didn't think it was obvious, or that she'd remember it. He nods without saying a word, then laughs at her confused expression. "What's up?"

"Well, if you know each other, why didn't she smile at you?" Sally's accurate observation surprises him again. He feels a pang; the memory of their short encounter in the hallway coming back to him.

"I don't know," he says honestly and they continue to walk in silence. _Nothing happened._ Helga's words keep echoing in his mind; it's starting to drive him nuts. _Did I misinterpret things? We had such a good time; she said so herself. She didn't get angry when I kissed her. Maybe she thought it was a friendly kiss. Hmm, should've gone for the lips instead._

"Hey, isn't that Helga?" Sally suddenly says and his head jerks up. In the distance he sees her walking towards them on the other side of the street. He almost shouts her name when something else catches his attention. "Who's that guy?" Sally asks, referring to a blonde boy in a blue shirt and jeans. He stops Helga and they start talking. "Is it me or does his head look…weird?" she says, at a loss for a better word.

_Weird… that's an understatement._ From where they're standing he could see Helga's facial features clearly. _She looks happy to see him. Wait; is that a blush appearing on her face? _It suddenly dawns on him. _So that's the reason. Or should I say; __**he's**__ the reason._

* * *

><p>"Hey Arnold," Helga says, a warm smile appearing on her face. His heart swells at the sight of it. <em>Control yourself, Arnold; you don't give yourself away just yet.<em>

"Hi, Helga," he replies and clears his throat. _Why does it suddenly feel so dry? Oh, man_. Then he notices the tired look in her eyes. "Are you okay? You look exhausted," he asks worriedly.

Helga could feel her face getting hot. "Uh, no I'm fine. Just went for a morning run," she says and laughs nervously.

Arnold gives her an odd look. "In your jeans?" he asks suspiciously, eyeing her.

Helga realizes her mistake and blushes even more._ I need to stop this, really. Think before you leap, woman! _"Yeah," she says, her mind hastily thinking up an explanation. "My running shorts are in the wash and these were they only pair of pants I had so… yeah," she finishes lamely, giving him a shy smile.

"Okay," he says, clearly not buying her excuse but lets it go anyway._ I should tell her. Tell her n—_

"Arnold?" Helga says, looking straight at him.

"Yeah?"

"What was it you wanted to tell me yesterday?" she asks, suddenly nervous.

Arnold smiles briefly. _It's like she can read my mind._ "Well, you know that show we were talking about yesterday?" Helga takes a moment to recall what he's referring to.

"Oh, you mean Sheila Canton?" her face brightens in excitement. "What about it?"

"I'm going too," he replies shortly, not sure of how she would react. For a split second he panics as her face doesn't show any signs of happiness; just confusion. But his heart leaps when she breaks out into a wide smile. "Gerald's mom had tickets but she didn't want to go—"

"Really?" Helga interrupted him mid-sentence, excitement getting the better of her. She almost hugs him, but pulls back when she realizes how she must look in Arnold's eyes. _Calm down, Helga. Don't act like a dimwit._ "I mean uh, great! I'm sure Phoebe will be happy that Gerald's coming too," she says, trying to shift the attention to something else. _Good thing she's not here, she would've killed me for saying that._

_Good thing Gerald isn't here, or else he'd pass out from happiness._ Arnold smiles as the image pops into his head. "It's funny though, isn't it?" he says with a dreamy look in his eyes.

"What is?" Helga asks, not sure what subject they're on now.

"Phoebe and Gerald," he says and looks at her. "It's obvious they like each other. If we can see it – clearly at that – why can't they?" Arnold wonders if his feelings for Helga are as obvious.

"Well, you know what they say; love is blind," Helga says, thinking that Arnold couldn't see her infatuation with him for more than ten years now. _You're one to talk._ Helga notices Arnold looking at something across the street. She follows his gaze and her insides turn cold at the sight of Alex and Sally standing right there.

Sally smiles and waves, now that she has their attention. "Sally, what are you doing?" Alex says, slightly panicked. "We shouldn't disturb them now, they look busy."

"If they were busy he wouldn't have looked this way. Relax already," she says and keeps waving.

"Do you know them?" Arnold asks, turning to Helga. His brow furrows when he sees her expression. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she says distractedly and waves timidly back. "They're um…" Helga pauses, searching for the right term. "They're family friends coming over for a visit."

"Oh, that's nice," Arnold says and starts to cross the street. Realizing what he's about to do, she puts her hand on his arm to stop him.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asks, and immediately drops her hand again.

"I'm going over to say hi," he says, and gives her an odd look. "What's wrong with that? Any friends of yours are friends of mine, right?" he adds sheepishly and grins. Ignoring her attempts at stopping him, he proceeds to walk across the street to the pair of strangers. "Hi," he says in a friendly tone and waves at both of them. "I'm Arnold."

"I'm Sally," she says cheerfully and smiles widely. "That's my brother Alex." She points to Alex, who smiles politely back.

"Hey," he says shortly and gives a small nod in acknowledgment. His eyes are focused on something behind Arnold and momentarily a look of sadness passes over his face. Arnold looks behind him to see Helga with the same expression. _Something's not right here. _A few moments of awkward silence ensues.

"Umm…" Arnold begins to say, trying to break the tension.

"Hey Arnold," Helga says suddenly. "I think we should go back now, my parents – and theirs – must be wondering where we are." She looks from Alex to Sally, then her gaze shifts to him. "I'll see you tonight?" she says hopefully, a trace of a smile on her lips.

_Tonight?_ Alex looks up when he hears her utter those words. _Do they... have a date?_

"Yeah, definitely," Arnold says and gives her a dashing smile; one that makes Helga's heart skip a beat. "See you later. It was nice meeting you guys," he adds to Alex and Sally. He turns and walks off, trying not to look back every five seconds or so. He couldn't help but notice that his fists keep balling up at the thought of Helga going home with Alex, though he couldn't pinpoint why. _What was that look they gave each other? What up with that?_ He sighs._ At least I've gotten myself out of that awkward situation._

Once Arnold leaves, Helga starts walking back home without saying another word to either Alex or Sally.

"Who was that?" Sally asks Helga, oblivious to the previous awkward silence. "Is that your boyfriend?" The straightforwardness of her question makes Helga laugh bitterly.

"No, he isn't," she says, but still feels her chest tighten at those words. _If only._ "He's just a friend. What's it to you?"

"I'm just asking. You guys looked really close," she observes and looks to Alex. "Don't you think so, Alex?"

Her question catches him off guard; he was too busy replaying in his mind that Helga said Arnold isn't her boyfriend. _Should I be happy about it? She's obviously not interested. But... maybe I'll give it a shot._ "Uh, really? I didn't notice," he says offhandedly.

Helga looks at him from the corner of her eye. _Do I like him? Like, really like him?_ She can't ignore the fact that he can make her insides turn to mush when he smiles. _But what about Arnold?_

* * *

><p>"Arnold," Gerald calls out from the sidewalk in front of the board house. "Hey, Arnold!"<p>

"He's not at home, young man," Phil says, opening the door. "Said something about going to see Helga this morning."

"He what?" Gerald exclaims, eyes widening. "Oh, no. No, no Arnold what are you getting yourself into…" he shakes his head, only to see Arnold walking up the sidewalk a few seconds later. "There you are, man!"

Arnold is surprised by Gerald's panicked state. "Gerald, what's going on? Why are you so jumpy?"

"Did you see Helga already?" he asks firmly, putting a hand on Arnold's shoulder.

"Yeah, I did. Why? She looked just fine," Arnold says, increasingly unnerved by how Gerald is acting.

"You didn't notice anything different about how she was acting or anything? No mention of any new people?" Gerald's last question sparks an interest.

"Now that you mention it, I did meet Sally and Alex—"

"You met Alex?" Gerald practically yells and Arnold takes a step back in surprise. "Arnold, do you know who that guy is?"

"Helga said he's a family friend—" he starts to say, but stops when he sees Gerald's expression.

Gerald shakes his head. "He's your competition, man."

"What?" Arnold doesn't believe him. "There's no way. I mean, you didn't see the look on their faces when they saw each other."

"You didn't hear what I heard Helga tell Phoebe about this dude. I think she likes him. Well, actually she's not sure but still—"

"When did you hear what? Where?" Arnold interrupts, wondering where Gerald got his information from. Gerald clears his throat uncomfortably.

"Well, about that. You see, it was an accident," he says, awkwardly. "I was taking a jog around the neighbourhood, like I do every morning. When I passed by the park I saw Phoebe walking in so I thought I'd go talk to her. You know; maybe mention that we're going to that show and everything." He pauses, not sure how to tell the next part without sounding like a stalker. "I was trying to catch up to her when I saw who she was heading to: Helga." Arnold furrowed his brow at the mention of her name. "She looked pretty messed up too, like something was really bothering her. I didn't mean to, but I got curious so…"

"So what?" Arnold asks impatiently. "You hid in a dumpster nearby to eavesdrop on them?"

"No," he says, looking at Arnold in distaste. "I wouldn't sink that low." He gives him a guilty look and shifts uncomfortably. "I actually stood behind a tree."

Arnold rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "So what did you hear?" Gerald is surprised he didn't get a lecture on morals or something from Arnold. He shrugs and continues.

"The story of how Helga met Alex when they were fourteen. At least, she was fourteen; I don't know how old that guy is."

"He looked about our age too," Arnold says suddenly, remembering Alex's face.

"Speaking of which, what does this Alex look like?" Gerald asks with suspicion. "Is he taller than you?"

Arnold gives him a look. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Girls like taller guys," he says knowingly. Arnold is silent. "Aw, no. He is taller, isn't he? Dude, you've got your work cut out for you."

"That doesn't mean anything. You said she wasn't sure, right?" Arnold says, hoping he still has a chance.

"From the way she told Phoebe about him, I don't know. You better put your game face on tonight Arnold," he tells him. "It's time for Operation Woo Helga."

"You can't think of a better name?" Arnold can help but mock.

"Hey," Gerald says and points a finger at Arnold. "Do you want my help or not?"

Arnold nods quickly. "Yeah, I do." _I think I might need it._

* * *

><p>I'm on a roll, aren't I? I can't stop writing! ^.^ Don't get your hopes up, though, I might grow tired soon. Plus, only a week left before school starts again *weeps* (and I haven't even <em>touched<em> my homework.) :'( So I'm thinking of ending it soon, but I don't know how or when, not with how it's playing out in my mind! :/ We'll see how it goes.

Special shout out to MKBianca : You're so awesome, I love your reviews. :D

Not forgetting the other who have R&R-ed. Thank youuuu. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!

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><p>"Okay, got everything down in your head?" Gerald asks, looking at Arnold squarely. "If you mess up tonight, you can kiss Helga goodbye."<p>

"Don't be so dramatic," Arnold tells him. "If I screw up, I'll still have tomorrow, and the next day and the next. I'm not going to let her get away that easy," he says, firm resolution in his eyes. "Besides, if she does end up going for Alex," saying that makes his insides boil. "I'll wait. If I could wait for Lila all those years she kept rejecting me, then I can handle this."

"If you say so," Gerald backs off, not wanting Arnold to blow up in his face. "Just remember; don't go overboard. If she likes you already, then it's because of who you are not who you're trying to be."

"That's pretty wise, Gerald," Arnold comments, nodding his head in approval.

"Don't be surprised," he says and checks his reflection in the mirror. "I've got sixteen years of practicing how to woo women up my sleeve."

"Sixteen years, Gerald?" Arnold says and gives him a look. "Really?"

"Okay, maybe not that long," he admits and shrugs. "But long enough. If I could think up this plan, how could you possibly doubt my expertise?"

"I won't doubt it anymore if it actually works. I'll let you know at the end of the night."

"Then let's get the evening started already," Gerald says and open his front door. "Ma, we're going now!" he yells in the direction of the kitchen.

"Okay, have fun you two!" Arnold hears a female voice call out. "Don't stay out too late or I'm locking you out like last time, Gerald."

"Yeah, yeah I won't. Bye!" he says and closes the door. "One late night party and a year later, and she still won't let it go. Mothers." Gerald rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Arnold smiles as he remembers the party Rhonda Wellington threw last year. _It definitely wasn't boring. _"You remember that one, Arnold? It was wild. I almost kissed Phoebe that night, too," he says, a dreamy look on his face.

"You mean Harold pushed you against her when he tried making his way to the serving table."

Gerald gives Arnold a look that says, "Don't mess with me, I'm trying to help you here."

Noticing, Arnold raises his hand in surrender and says, "So you almost kissed Phoebe, huh? How come you didn't go through with it?"

"I didn't think it was the right time," Gerald says casually, pretending Arnold never made the earlier comment. "I mean, I didn't wanna catch her off guard or anything. When I do kiss her, I want her to see it coming."

"So you're gonna plan the whole thing? Lighting and all?" Arnold scoffs at the idea.

"The mood you set for the first kiss is important; it determines how the relationship is going to be. So, I'm planning to make it all romantic and cool; just my style." Gerald could hear a soft snicker coming from Arnold. "Don't laugh; this piece of info might come in handy when you're trying to sneak your first kiss with Helga."

Arnold thinks about that carefully. Then he remembers something. "I have kissed her before."

"When?" Gerald asks incredulously.

"Romeo and Juliet? Remember that play Mr. Simmons forced us to do back in fourth grade?" Arnold says, thinking back to that time all of those years ago. _Come to think of it, that kiss was dramatic. I guess that explains the situation I'm in now._

"That doesn't count," Gerald dismisses it with a wave of his hand. "It was forced, not something you both wanted to do. Plus, it was planned. Not cool."

"Wait, isn't that what you're trying to do with Phoebe?"

"That's different. She doesn't know I'm planning it," he says with a shrug. Arnold doesn't even try to comprehend the logic behind that. _But then there was that time on the FTi building… but Gerald doesn't know about that one. That kiss was dramatic, too. Does that count?_

"What about when the kiss was unexpected, but one of parties didn't like the idea of being kissed?" he asks uncomfortably, thinking that he didn't really have feelings for Helga then. _Or did I?_ "You know, hypothetically."

"I guess it qualifies as a first kiss," he considers. "But not an awesome one." Arnold thinks this over as they continue walking. "You know," Gerald suddenly says, a thought striking him. "If your first kiss really happened like that, then the second kiss has to be epic! So you won't really remember the first one, especially if you didn't want it to happen. Instead, you kiss her again, only this time you make it so memorable she'll see that one as the real first kiss. Which in a way, is sorta true."

Arnold's face is blank, not really grasping what Gerald just said. "Just kiss her again, properly this time and things will be perfect," he simplifies. "We're here." They stop in front of the Coffee Bean and glance at each other. "Should we knock or something?"

"Try it."

"You try it, you're the one who wanted to come here so badly."

Arnold gulps and steps up to the door. He gives a few sharp taps and takes a step back. After a few moments, someone opens the door and gives them a look once-over. "Got the tickets?" the tall, lanky man asks. Arnold pulls them out of his back pocket hastily and shows it to him. Without any further enquiries, the man steps aside and lets them in. "Enjoy the show," he says, though Arnold could sense a hint of sarcasm – or is it distaste? – in the man's voice.

The place is more crowded than Arnold expected it to be. _I didn't know so many people liked poetry in this town._ Scanning the room for a pair of familiar faces, he and Gerald uncertainly make their way to an empty table near the far right of the café. Before they could sit down, though, Gerald catches sight of a dark-haired girl with rimless glasses; a girl he knows only too well. "There they are," he says to Arnold and starts walking in their direction. Following Gerald's lead, he finally spots them sitting near the middle of the café. "Well hello, ladies," Gerald says casually and makes to sit down when he notices the girls aren't sitting by themselves.

Arnold stops just behind Gerald who is frozen stiff, but doesn't understand why. "Gerald, what's going—" he stops mid-sentence, realizing who's sitting next to Helga. His fists ball up and he resists the urge to punch someone. "Hey, Alex. Didn't expect to see you here."

"It is a small world, after all," he says and smiles wanly.

"And here I was thinking it was just gonna be the four of us," Gerald says, almost under his breath.

"Yeah, funny story," Helga jumps in, laughing nervously. The boys' not-so-friendly reaction to Alex set alarm bells ringing in her head. "You see, when his mom heard that I was going to Sheila Canton's show, she told me that Alex was a huge fan too—"

"Much to my embarrassment," Alex adds, combing a hand through his hair.

"Anyway," Helga continues, a slight edge to her voice now. "She insisted that he came along. But of course I told her he couldn't because there were no more tickets." She turns to Phoebe. "Or so I thought."

All eyes move to Phoebe now and she reddens. "That's where my parents step in. We stopped by Helga's to pick her up and that's when they mentioned that they accidentally purchased an extra ticket—"

"And that's when he jumps at the chance to go," Gerald finishes for her, not impressed. "What a coincidence. You must be one lucky guy, uh, Alex was it?" he says, pretending like he didn't know the name of the guy sitting right in front of him. "It's not everyday that you get a chance to see a show like this."

"Oh, that's right," Phoebe says, realizing. "You two haven't met before. Gerald, this is Alex and Alex; this is Gerald."

"A pleasure," Alex says and nods his head in acknowledgement.

"I'm sure it is." Gerald says and finally takes a seat. Only then does he notice that Arnold hasn't said anything else since they got there. "Hey Arnold, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," he nods and stares at the stage. _Tough break, man. _Gerald resists the urge to pat him on the shoulder in sympathy_. So much for Operation Woo Helga, it's not gonna work with this guy around._ As if Arnold could read his mind, he gives the slightest shrug and a look. A look that says, "Oh well, maybe next time."

Helga looks at Arnold, a worried expression on her face. "Arnold—" she begins, but stops when the lights suddenly dim and the curtains open. Her head turns sharply, eyes bright with excitement. _The show is starting._

Arnold couldn't focus on what's being said on stage. He couldn't stop himself from looking at Helga from the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but notice how every now and then Alex would lean over and whisper something in her ear that would make her smile or giggle. He could feel nothing but anger; anger that's boiling up deep inside of him at the sight of those two together. Sharing something that he knows he could never do with her, not without making himself look like an idiot, or making her feel exasperated with the limited amount of knowledge he has on poetry or her favourite poet. He can't share with her the one thing that makes her seem so delicate and sweet, as opposed to the tough demeanor she always puts on in front of everyone else. Everyone except him; when they're hanging out, just the two of them. When she knows no one else is looking and judging her, she lets her guard down and acts like herself; her true self. A side of her that Arnold is sure she doesn't show to anyone else, except maybe Phoebe. _And most probably Alex now, too._ His fists ball up again at the thought of it.

_He's not taking her away from me, not after what we've been through all these years._ Arnold suddenly remembers that night on the FTi building. He remembers that Helga had spilled her guts out confessing her love to him but all he did was stare at her and back away from her touch. Now all he feels is regret. Regret that the day after, he had convinced her that she didn't really mean what she said, that it was the adrenaline talking. Regret that he didn't take her confession seriously; instead he set it aside and denied it ever happened. Regret that his actions have probably erased all of Helga's feelings for him, and made everything that happened between them meaningless.

His heart is breaking and he knows it's all his doing. _I'm sorry I've been so blind all these years, Helga. I guess it's too late for me now._

* * *

><p>I know it's a huge cliffhanger, and even I don't think it's fair to leave it like this, especially since I haven't updated in a few days. (has it been a few days? I'm not sure anymore) BUT, (here's where you start yelling 'noooo') I really don't know when's the next time I'll be updating. I'll just let your imagination run wild at his last few sentences.<p>

Thanks again for all the reviews! :D You guys crack me up. XD


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!**

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><p><em>I'm actually having fun, smiling and enjoying the show. Maybe I really do have a shot after all.<em> He looks at Helga from the corner of his eye and notices her attention is divided. He looks at where she keeps glancing, and a part of his optimism deflates.

_Arnold. She's looking at Arnold._ He sighs in despair. _So maybe I don't have much of a shot after all, not if she's still hung up over that guy._ He looks at Arnold from the corner of his eye too. _What's so great about him anyway? That weirdly shaped head, it sort of looks like a football. He looks too skinny to be a jock. But then again, I'm not one either, so maybe she isn't into those type of guys._

Helga leans in to say something to him and his attention snaps back to the present. "This is so amazing," she whispers, barely able to contain her excitement and downright awe. "It's like she's expressing all of my thoughts, my feelings. All of this just explains who I am." She leans back and continues to focus on the stage. After hearing that, he starts paying attention, fully this time, to the words being uttered. _Some things just make sense now. I guess I'll learn more about her by listening to this and understanding it._ His brow furrows just a bit. _The poems are so grim and depressing, though._

He listens carefully, making mental notes the whole time. When he finally hears the words 'thank you' he breathes a silent sigh of relief. _That was getting much, much too emotionally intense._ He hears a sniffle and immediately thinks it's either Helga or Phoebe, but when he turns his head he notices Arnold giving Gerald a look.

"I'm fine, something just went in my eye," Gerald reassures him and rubs his eyes for good measure. Noticing that Arnold clearly doesn't buy his excuse, he says, "Alright, so maybe I was a little touched by what that woman said up there. You would be too if you really listened to her words and understood it."

"Geraldo here is right," Helga says and scoffs. "Who knew you could be so deep." She rolls her eyes at Gerald and gets up. "Come on Pheebs, let's go to the restroom."

"Coming," Phoebe says in that musical way Alex finds strangely amusing.

"How come she's still hostile to me?" Gerald asks Arnold. "I thought you said poetry makes her nicer."

Arnold shrugs and chuckles. "I don't know, she's nice to me."

"She didn't talk to you at all, more like."

Arnold stiffens. "Shut up, Gerald." He gets up abruptly and says, "I think I'm going to get a drink. Want anything?"

"I'll go with you, I wanna see what they've got in this place. How 'bout you Alex?" Gerald asks. Arnold turns around and walks off without waiting for an answer. Alex just shakes his head and mumbles 'no thanks'.

_Well, it's obvious he likes her too. This isn't an even playing field. Arnold likes Helga and Helga likes Arnold; at least I think she does. I like Helga, but does she like me too? Is it possible for a girl to like two guys at once? She might see me as just a friend, though._ Alex stares into space pondering this, oblivious to his surroundings now.

* * *

><p>The cold splash of water brings Helga's head out of the cloudiness surrounding her brain. <em>Why do I feel so lost? What's there to be confused about? I should be happy now, so why aren't I?<em> She stares at her reflection in the mirror. She lifts points to her reflection and almost speaks out loud when she remembers where she is. She immediately drops her hand and splashes more water on her face. _Get a grip. You're Helga G. Pataki; suck it in already._

Phoebe steps out from one of the cubicles and washes her hands at the sink. "So," she begins tentatively, knowing the topic she's about to open is a sensitive one.

Helga quickly captures where she's going and beats her to the punch. "I'm still not sure how I feel, Pheebs." Phoebe is inwardly relieved that she didn't have to be the one to bring it up. "I'm still a bit lost."

"So, do you have feelings for… both of them?" she asks carefully.

Helga stares at her reflection again, face expressionless. "I don't know, maybe," she finally says. "Does that make me a bad person, Phoebe? That I somehow have feelings for two people at once?" Helga looks at Phoebe, her eyes betraying her confusion.

"No, of course not." Phoebe says quickly. "It's possible for it to happen to anybody, that doesn't make you bad; it makes you human."

Helga sighs deeply. "Sometimes I wish I wasn't human. I bet dogs have it easy."

Phoebe is intrigued by her statement; it's very random. _That's not like her._

Helga shakes her head and laughs bitterly. "Looks like Alex is rubbing off on me. He always says the oddest things." Phoebe nods in understanding. _That makes sense now. Perhaps she really does like both Arnold and Alex. What a tough predicament._

"Come on, let's go back to the table. I haven't talked to Arnold yet," Helga says and leaves the restroom. Phoebe follows her, still thinking of the situation her best friend is in. _A very tough predicament indeed._

* * *

><p>"Where did Arnold and Gerald go?" Helga asks Alex, who's sitting at the table by himself. He doesn't answer her, instead he just stares straight ahead. "Hello? Earth to Alex." Helga waves her hand in front of his face and he snaps back to reality.<p>

"Sorry, what?" he asks, disoriented. "Oh, they went to get some drinks or something." He looks at his watch. "Come to think of it, that was while ago and they're still not back. Wait," he says and looks at the girls. "What took you two so long?"

"You're asking a couple of girls what they do in the bathroom for so long?" she asks and gives him a look. "To think having a little sister would make you wiser on this kind of things."

"She's only eight, so I guess all the girly stuff hasn't kicked in yet," he says simply and shrugs. "Maybe in a few years."

"Mmm," Helga says distractedly and looks around. Alex notices and cringes inwardly. _She's looking for him and not paying attention to our conversation. Great._ Without realizing he's looking for them too, but doesn't see them anywhere. _Did they… no, they couldn't have._

"They left," Helga says, dumbfounded. Her face falls, then it shifts to anger. "How could they just leave us like that? The nerve of them, I oughtta punch their lights out for being so rude."

"Now, now Helga, let's not be so drastic," Phoebe tries to calm her down. "I'm sure they have a good reason for leaving."

_Or maybe he's just trying to avoid me._ Helga sighs and takes a seat. Suddenly she feels exhausted. "Let's go home, I'm pooped."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Alex says and gets up. Extending his hand, he helps Helga get on her feet and smiles warmly. Helga returns the smile and they start walking out. Having seen the gesture Alex gave Helga, Phoebe has her own conclusion now. _Looks like Helga is caught in a love triangle. The problem is, if she doesn't know which one she likes, then this isn't going to end well. _The thought worries her the more she thinks about it_. I'm getting stressed and this isn't even my problem. I can only imagine what it's like to be in her shoes._

* * *

><p>I know it's short and I'm sorry. Of all times, of all weekends, it just had to be this one that I fall sick? During the past two weeks at home I was as healthy as a horse. Now the weekend before school reopens comes along and bam! I'm sick. Coincidence? <strong>I think not.<strong> :O I'm rambling, yes. Sorry about that.

I'll try and update as soon as I can, I haven't really mentioned Arnold's input in this, have I? Like, why did he leave? What did Gerald say about it? And the most pressing question; _who does Helga really like?_ ;) The answer to that last one... will be revealed in due time. Vague, I know. Tough luck. :P

(This A/N is turning out to be long.) (Sorry.) Thanks soooo much for reading and to those who have reviewed, you have a special place in my heart. :) AWWW. If I mention names, the A/N would end up being longer than the actual story sooo I'll just end it here. :) Thanks again!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I **do not** own Hey Arnold!

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><p>"Where are you going?" Gerald asks when Arnold makes a sudden turn towards the exit instead of the counter.<p>

"I'm getting some air, this place is making me feel claustrophobic." Arnold leaves the café without another word.

"Wait—" Gerald pauses, looking back and forth between the door and the direction of their table. _Should I go after him? We can't just leave them here without saying goodbye._ Making a decision, he pushes open the door and steps out into the cool night air. He sees Arnold walking down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Arnold!" Gerald catches up and puts his hand on Arnold's shoulder to stop him. "What's going on, man?"

"Nothing." Arnold keeps a straight face, not showing any hint of emotion, when deep inside it's like a whirlpool.

"Nothing, my foot." Gerald looks at him squarely in the eyes, concern and worry in his expression. "We've been best buds for how long now? I can tell when something's not right. Why are you acting like this?" he asks, though he knows reason already.

"I think the question should start with a 'who'," he says sullenly, averting his gaze to the road.

"Come on, Arnold. That Alex dude had got nothing on you," Gerald tries to say comfortingly. "All of that stuff you went through with her? Can Alex say he did all sorts of stuff or have crazy adventures with Helga? No, he can't. So what if he likes poetry? It sucks anyway. Okay, so maybe they can bond over that and maybe they're both true poets at heart or whatever. You've still got the edge here, Arnold. You… you've known her for a lot longer."

"You're not helping, Gerald."

"I know."

Arnold cracks a tiny smile; only Gerald could find a way to make the worst day of your life seem just a bit funnier.

"How about we get back in there before the girls realize we're gone and go all psycho on us? I don't want tomorrow's front page news to be 'Two Male Teens Killed in a Freak Accident near the Coffee Bean'. And by 'freak accident' I mean Helga's scheme to get back at us."

"Please, she's not that bad," Arnold tries to defend her.

"Maybe so, but I still wouldn't put it past her. You know what they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Gerald tries to open the door, but he can't. "What the?" He knocks and the tall lanky man opens the door for them.

"Tickets?"

Arnold reaches into his back pocket, but doesn't feel anything in it. His eyes widen as he remembers. "I left it on the table inside."

The man smiles – but not in a nice way – and says, "Too bad. No ticket, no entry."

"But you know we have them, it's just inside! You let us in the first time." Gerald protests, appalled that they're not being let in.

The man shrugs. "Just doing my job. Sorry kids," he says and shuts the door in their faces. They look at each other, stunned.

"So what do we do now?" Gerald asks. "Should we just go?"

"No, I think we should stay here and wait for them to come out," Arnold suggests. "I mean, if we leave, then they'll think we ditched them. If we wait out here, then we can explain what happened when they come out."

"Sure we will, when they come out. The question is, how long do we have to wait until they do?"

Arnold shrugs and sits at the edge of the sidewalk. "Guess we'll have to wait and see."

Gerald, seeing that Arnold is intent on sitting there for who-knows-how-long, sighs in defeat and joins him. "So, how'd you find the show just now? I've got a whole new perspective on things…"

* * *

><p>Helga, Phoebe and Alex stick together closely on their way out of the café. Before moving though, Phoebe spots something on the table. She takes a closer look and sees that it's a couple of tickets. She pockets them, thinking she might have left them there by mistake. The trio step outside and start walking down the sidewalk, while Helga and Alex talk about the show. Phoebe notices two people sitting by the road. <em>They look familiar. Is that…<em>

"Gerald?" she says and four heads turn towards her. "Arnold," she says again, recognizing the person beside him. "Why are you two out here?"

Helga turns toward the two boys on the street and a part of her feels a burst of happiness. _So he didn't just leave._ Then she remembers why she's upset in the first place. "Yeah, why didn't you buckos stay inside? I was thinking of punching you guys out for ditching us."

"Told you I wouldn't put it past her," Gerald mutters just loud enough for Arnold to hear. "Oh, we have a good reason, alright."

"The guy watching the door wouldn't let us back in because I accidentally left the tickets inside," Arnold explains.

"You mean these?" Phoebe pulls out the tickets she took earlier. "I found them on the table and thought it was ours."

"No, I'm holding them," Alex jumps in. He looks at Gerald and Arnold. "What were you guys doing out here in the first place?"

"Just getting some air," Arnold replies with a slight edge to his voice. He tries his best not to lose his composure when he sees how close Helga and Alex are standing next to each other. Helga, suddenly noticing her close proximity to Alex, takes a step away from him and looks at Arnold. "Well, uh…"

"So, what's the plan now?" Gerald tries to break the awkward silence that fell upon them. "I know I haven't eaten anything. How about we go to Chez Pierre?"

"Sure, as long as we don't mix it up with Chez Paris again," Arnold says, giving a meaningful look to Helga and cracking a smile.

Helga groans. "Don't remind me," she says, remembering the time in fourth grade she took them out for dinner after she won the coupon from Mr. Simmons. She could hear Phoebe giggling in the background. "You gotta admit though, that was a fun night. The food was delicious."

"Yeah, but we had to wash the dishes afterwards because we couldn't pay for it." Gerald says. "Even until now, I can't stand looking at a cleaning brush."

"Aww that's too bad, Gerald," Helga says innocently. "I was so hoping you'd take up that empty position at the cinema."

"As what?" he asks, the idea of a paying job catching his interest.

"The janitor."

Arnold and Alex burst out laughing. "Good one, Helga," Arnold says, but stops laughing when he sees Gerald staring daggers at him. "What?" he asks, shrugging. "It was funny."

"Mmhmm. Now, if we're done cracking jokes about my future job as a janitor, could we please go eat something? I'm starving here."

"I'm pretty hungry too," Alex says, putting a hand over his stomach. "I would've eaten earlier, but your mom's ravioli didn't look… that appetizing."

"Don't try to be polite, she's not here to hear you," Helga says with a wave of her hand.

"Okay then," he says, dropping the act. "It looked disgusting. Did she make that herself?"

"She tried. Guess she thought a normal dinner wouldn't be fit for the occasion, not with your family around. That's when the idea of making an Italian-themed dinner came up."

"That explains all the pasta dishes."

"We're still not going anywhere," Gerald says, crossing his arms. "What part of 'I'm starving' don't you people get?"

"Take a chill pill, man, we're going already," Helga says and leads the way. "Oh, and just in case, make sure we walk into the right restaurant this time. My French is a little rusty now so we'd look like idiots in Chez Paris," she says over her shoulder and sneaks a smile at Arnold. He stifles a laugh, memories of that night coming back to him.

Helga remembers the two experiences she's had in that restaurant and feels a stab when she realizes that Arnold still doesn't know that she was the one pretending to be Cecille._ I wonder if I'll ever tell him._ She tries not to think about that now. _Tonight's the night I'm going to make new memories, in Chez Pierre this time. I hope they're gonna be good ones._

Phoebe lags behind, her short legs not able to catch up to them so quickly. Gerald notices and falls in step with her. The walk next to each other at their own pace, while the other three start getting farther away in front of them._ I've been trying to help Arnold with Helga for the whole day and most of the night; it's time I did something for myself._

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Gerald says and looks up to the sky. "You can see stars everywhere." Phoebe blushes slightly, realizing that she and Gerald are practically alone now.

"It's a bit chilly but yes, I suppose it is nice night," she says and rubs her bare arms, the shawl she brought along not fully covering her. "I expected it to be a bit warmer, it is late spring."

"Just because the days are getting warmer, that doesn't mean the nights will too." Gerald takes off his jacket and puts it around her. She smiles in appreciation and nods her head. "You're the super smart one and I have to figure that out for you?" he says jokingly.

"You're street smart, Gerald. That's a different kind, but just as important."

"Looks like we should stick together more often, you know, so we can look after each other," he says and shrugs. _Was that too obvious?_

"I suppose so," Phoebe says and tries not to smile so widely. They keep walking when Gerald suddenly sighs. "What's wrong?"

"Don't tell me you couldn't feel the awkwardness between those three."

Phoebe nods in understanding. "You could slice through that atmosphere like butter. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," he says honestly, seeing the restaurant's signboard in the distance. A thought suddenly strikes him. "Who are you rooting for?"

The question catches Phoebe off guard and she doesn't know what to say for a moment. "Well…" she pauses, thinking carefully. "I don't know either. It's not really up to me, is it? It's Helga's choice, not mine nor yours."

"I know that, but still. If she asked you to make a choice for her, what would you say?"

"It's highly unlikely for that to happen," she says immediately. When Gerald still expects her to give an answer, she says, "I don't know that, myself."

Gerald is dumbfounded. "Really?" Phoebe nods timidly. "Why? What's so great about that guy anyway until even you don't know?"

"This isn't about my preference," she says sternly. "I'm trying to put myself in Helga's shoes. You don't know what the story is behind those two."

Gerald almost says that he does, but remembers that he has to explain **how** he knows it. _That's going to be another problem._ "Even if I don't," he says. _Though I actually do._ "Don't you think Arnold and Helga just sort of… belong together? Don't ask me where, but I've read that sometimes people are like that."

"Like how?"

"Destined for each other or something."

Phoebe's heart flutters when he says that. "Do you actually believe in it?" she asks, almost nervously.

"I'd like to think it might be true," he says and flashes a breathtaking smile. She turns her head away, trying to hide the blush creeping up her neck.

"That's… interesting," she says, her tongue tied in knots.

"Is it?" he says and takes her hand in his. "I'm glad you think that." When she doesn't pull away his smile grows wider and his heart starts beating regularly again. _Success! Now, time to plan our first kiss_

* * *

><p>"It's about time you two got here, we almost ordered for—" Helga stops abruptly when she sees Phoebe and Gerald walking into the restaurant – hand in hand. "Oh…" Helga says lamely, surprised. She shoots Arnold a look. <em>When did that happen<em>? He shrugs, as if he telepathically got her message. She looks from Gerald to Phoebe and smiles at her. _Way to go, Pheebs. I knew it would happen eventually._

Alex sits silently at he watches it all unfold, understanding what has just happened. _I knew there was something going on between them. _He notices the timid, almost embarrassed smile on Phoebe's lips. _She looks so happy, and so does he. _Alex glances at Gerald, then his gaze moves to Helga and Arnold. _Their best friends just got together, I wonder if they're going to follow in their footsteps. For my own sake, I hope not._

Phoebe and Gerald take a seat, each trying to avoid the eyes of their respective best friends. The waitress gives them a menu each and they pretend to be studying it really hard. Arnold rolls his eyes and decides to interrogate Gerald about it later. Helga on the other hand, has no intention of waiting for the night to be over to hear the full story. _I'll have to pry it out of them somehow._

"So…" she says, propping her arms on the table and resting her chin on the backs of her hands. "What took you so long to get here? I mean, I know Phoebe isn't the fastest person in the world but still." She gives them a look, a glint in her eye. Phoebe shifts uncomfortably while Gerald pretends he didn't hear anything and keeps reading the menu. Alex tries to stifle a laugh at their attempt to avoid the subject.

Arnold, though enjoying the sight of his best friend being embarrassed about finally putting the moves on Phoebe, thinks he should save them from misery. "Hey Helga, can I talk to you for a minute?" he tilts his head towards the door, indicating he wants a private conversation outside.

She doesn't take her eyes off of Phoebe because she knows Arnold is just trying to save them from embarrassment. _Too late for that._ "Oh, I don't know, is it really that important? I'd like to sit here and talk to them; it's not as if I talk to Gerald that often now do I?" She turns her head to Gerald, an evil smile appearing on her lips.

"No, talking to me can wait," Gerald says, taking a moment from studying the menu to glance up and answer her. His eyes shift to Arnold, a hint of appreciation showing through. "Besides, Arnold said he wanted to talk to you."

"No, that's the conversation that can wait," Helga insists and looks over to Arnold for conformation. The evil smile disappears when she sees his serious expression. "Or not." She gets up slowly and follows Arnold out of the restaurant. He chooses a spot just outside the door where the three people sitting inside can't see them through the window, much to their dismay. Alex stares at the door, hoping they would come back through it soon.

"Didn't think he'd do that," Gerald mutters.

"Do what?" Phoebe and Alex say in unison.

"Find the only spot we can't see them from here. Though I am grateful he got us out of talking about it."

"Who says you're off the hook?" Alex says expectantly, leaning back in his chair. He tilts his head and smiles at both of them. "I'm listening."

Gerald and Phoebe look at each other, deciding whether they should tell him or not. Phoebe shrugs, showing that she doesn't mind. Gerald sighs and says, "Might as well."

* * *

><p>Okaaaaay can I just say I love GeraldXPhoebe? They're so cute together! XD<p>

So now you know what really happened and why they 'left'. First day back at school = reason I updated so fast. When you don't want to do something (like homework), you turn to something more enjoyable (like writing a story).

Thanks soo much for reading and reviewing! :D You guys are awchommm.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I _do not_ own Hey Arnold!

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><p><em>Ask. Ask him now, before the long silence becomes too awkward and you won't be able to do anything about it.<em>

"So what is it?" Helga asks, not really looking at him in the eye. They're standing just outside Chez Pierre, but not in view of the window. _Good, so they can't see us from in there, now we have some privacy._

"It's nothing, really. I just wanted to get you away from Phoebe and Gerald."

"I knew it."

Arnold smiles, but deep down his insides are tied up in knots. "Actually, that's not the only reason."

Helga looks up, heart suddenly beating faster. "Oh? Then why else would you drag me out here?" She clasps her hands together, unable to keep still.

"I wanted to ask you something." Two hearts are pounding, both not wanting the other to notice it. "It's about, uh…" Arnold trails off, not sure whether he actually wants to know or not.

"About?" Helga prompts, anxious about what he might say. When Arnold still doesn't answer, she says, "Come on Arnold, just spit it out."

"Alex."

Helga lets out a breath, she didn't realize she's been holding it in. "Oh…" she says, surprised that Arnold wants to ask about Alex at a time like this. "What about him?"

"Who is he, exactly?"

The way Arnold asked makes Helga think carefully about how she should answer. "He's…" she stops, suddenly at a loss for the right word. Arnold looks at her expectantly. "Um… he's my friend."

Somehow, hearing those words make Arnold even more confused. "Just a friend?" he prompts. "Not…anything more?" He cringes at how awkward he's beginning to sound.

"What do you mean by that?" Helga says defensively, brow furrowing. _Oh, no. Don't tell me he thinks I actually like Alex. I know I'm kind of confused right now but still! It can't be that obvious. If this guy can't even see that I've been love with him for the past decade, how can he notice if I may or may not have feelings for another guy?_ She folds her arms crossly and waits for his answer.

"I mean," Arnold says, not noticing nor caring about Helga's change in mood. "You make it look like there's something going on. All those whispers and silent looks you two give each other. What about how close you stand next to each other? You two always look like there's some inside joke only you guys can understand." He can't help but let a hint of annoyance show in his voice, which doesn't help the current mood Helga is in. "Sometimes I just feel like telling you guys to get a room."

"That's an exaggeration!" Helga blows up and throws her hands up in the air. "We don't act that way. Number one; there's nothing going on between Alex and me. Number two; even if there was, it's none of your business, you football-headed freak. Number three; why should you even care? So what if I like him, huh? What's it to you?"

"It's everything to me!" Arnold bursts. Helga takes a step back, surprised at his anger. "I care because I don't want him anywhere near you! I care because I can't stand seeing him so close to you, not just physically but to your heart too." He remembers how they spent time together during the show. "I hate that I can't be there they way he is. I hate that I can't talk about the same things you talk about with him. I hate that he probably understands you more than I ever will. I don't even know how you two met! Were you ever going to tell me that story? Or were you going to save that for your wedding day speech—"

"Whoa, whoa!" Helga stops him, not bearing to hear anymore of this. "Wedding day speech? What the heck are you talking about, Arnold? What part of 'there's nothing going on between us' don't you get?"

Arnold stares at her blankly. "Was that the only part you heard?"

"Well duh, you were speaking so fast I couldn't understand a thing you said," she says and sighs heavily. "I don't know about you but all I heard was a mess of jumbled up words and mumbling. And a little screaming," she adds at the end.

Arnold takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair. "S-so, you didn't hear what I said earlier?"

"When you were yelling your guts out? No." She looks at him suspiciously. "Why? What did you say?"

"Nothing," he says quickly, in a way glad that she didn't hear his sort-of confession. "Sorry I yelled like that," he adds apologetically.

"Me too," Helga says after a short pause, letting it slide. "I guess we're both just tired so we can't really think straight." _I really don't want to talk about this anymore. _She tries to smile, but Arnold notices that it doesn't reach her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess so," Arnold agrees, not wanting to dwell any further on it. "Um, let's go back in, we haven't ordered yet, and I remember Gerald saying he's starving."

"Oh, I think he forgot about his hunger when Phoebe stepped into the picture." Helga chuckles and starts walking towards the door. She stops when she notices Arnold isn't following her. "You coming or what?" she turns and asks.

"You go first. My shoes are untied," he lies.

"No, they're not," she says immediately, without even looking at his feet to make sure.

"How do you know?" Arnold gives her a suspicious look, a smile playing on the edges of his lips.

Helga's words get stuck in her throat. _I can't say 'because I notice everything about you, idiot' now can I? _She scoffs, rolls her eyes and says, "Never mind." She turns around and heads toward the restaurant's entrance. "Just go 'tie' your shoes then," she says over her shoulder with the most sarcastic tone she could muster, smiling just a little bit.

Arnold watches her go back into Chez Pierre, then takes a deep breath once she's inside. He takes a walk with his hands shoved into is pockets, slowly passing by the fountain in between Chez Pierre and Chez Paris. He stops and stares at the spurting water, reflections of the lights around him dancing in the ripples at the base of the fountain. _You made her mad. You yelled at her. What decent guy would do that? What girl in her right mind would go for a guy who does that?_ Arnold sighs in frustration and massages the bridge of his nose. _At least I apologized. No, that's not good enough. I need to do something to make up for it._ Deciding this, he slowly walks back into Chez Pierre, all the while thinking of a way to get back into Helga's good books.

* * *

><p>Helga stares at the plate of food in front of her. "Hold on," she says and looks from one person to another at the table. She finally stops at Phoebe and gestures towards the plate. "I'm pretty sure I haven't ordered anything since I got here." She raises her eyebrows in question, mouth turning into a slight frown.<p>

"Well," Phoebe begins with caution, not wanting Helga to lose her temper. "The waiter was here to take our orders while you and Arnold were talking outside—"

"I wasn't going to wait for you guys to come back to order, so we did it for you," Gerald steps in, saving Phoebe from Helga's imminent fury. "It was either we ordered for everyone or we don't order at all. I think I mentioned several times how hungry I am, so did you really think we were going to wait? I don't think so."

"So ordering this was…" Helga gestured to her bowl of chicken and mushroom soup.

"My idea," Phoebe says. "I looked at the menu and didn't think you liked any of the other choices, so I ordered that one."

"It was either her or me," Gerald steps in again. "If it were up to me I would've ordered the cheapest thing on the menu for you, so be grateful." He digs into his food, clearly too hungry to care whether it tastes good or not. Everyone else at the table shares an amused look – save Helga who gives a look of distaste – and starts eating their food as well.

"It's about time," Gerald suddenly says, causing the remaining three to look up from their plates. Arnold just stepped back inside, his face calm and eyes tired. "What took you so long?"

"I was tying my shoes," he says with a shrug. Helga's eyes dart to his face, narrowed. Arnold pays no attention.

"Tying your shoes or making another pair of them? Took you long enough," Gerald says, raising an eyebrow.

"Just shut up and eat your food," Arnold says tiredly and looks at the plate in front of him. "Is this supposed to be mine?" he asks, furrowing his brow. "I'm pretty sure I didn't order anything…"

"Oh, here we go again," Alex grumbles. "Gerald got too hungry so he ordered for you and Helga because he just couldn't wait anymore." With Alex's single sentence explaining everything, Gerald just nods approvingly in his direction and says, "That's pretty much it."

Arnold, not having anything to complain about regarding the food on his plate, shrugs and digs in.

Helga scoffs and says under her breath, "Boys and their food."

Alex, having heard her say that, glances in her direction and smirks._ If only you knew to what extent guys would go to get any kind of food. _"This place should sell sandwiches," he says absentmindedly after a few minutes, playing with his fork. "This is supposed to be like a bistro, right? Shouldn't they have it on the menu?"

Helga and Phoebe look at him with a strange expression on their faces. "I suppose…" Phoebe says uncertainly.

"Why does it matter?" Helga asks. The three boys stop eating and look at her incredulously. "What?" She looks around the table in confusion, feeling like she said something almost criminal.

"Sandwiches are everything. Full stop," Gerald says, with nods and murmurs of agreement from Arnold and Alex. Helga and Phoebe exchange glances and they shrug; this is just something girls will never understand about boys.

The five people at the table continue eating, but every now and then Arnold and Helga would glance at each other, actions not missed by Phoebe, Gerald and Alex. They decide to brush it aside at first, but after awhile it looks like something fishy is going on.

"I don't mean to be a busy body or anything—"Gerald says about halfway into the meal.

"Then don't," Helga cuts in, giving him a look and a cynical smile.

"Did something happen out there?" he continues, ignoring Helga and directing the question straight at Arnold. Helga's fingers tighten around her spoon, and Arnold looks up from his plate innocently.

"Like what?" he asks, trying to sound as clueless as possible.

"I don't know," Gerald says speculatively and eats another spoonful. "What were you guys talking about?"

"It's none of your concern," Helga steps in, saying it casually and without expression. "Well, if you must know…" she says when Gerald starts to open his mouth again. Arnold looks at Helga, surprised and alarmed. "He wanted to save you and Pheebs from my interrogation session." Phoebe and Gerald's eyes grow wide. "But since you brought it up—"

"Well now, let's not waste all this time talking when we could use it for eating this yummy food," Gerald interrupts her and stuffs his mouth with another spoonful. Phoebe nods enthusiastically and looks down at her plate again in silence. All Alex does is sit and watch, smiling at how comical this is turning out to be.

Arnold relaxes; for once glad Helga knows how to deflect a conversation away so well. She catches his eye and smirks triumphantly before resuming eating her meal.

* * *

><p>"Well, I can't say tonight has been boring," Helga says while all of them are walking back from Chez Pierre.<p>

"Oh, I'd say so too," Phoebe mumbles quietly, holding tightly onto Gerald's hand as they walk side by side. Gerald smiles, resisting the urge to give her a soft kiss right there and then.

Watching them from behind, Arnold feels a swell of happiness for his best friend. _He finally got the girl he's been dreaming of._ He sighs as he sees Helga walking up front with Alex. He can't hear what they're talking about, but from the looks of it, it's something that makes her happy.

"It reminds me of Hyde Park," Alex tells Helga as they walk past the park. She looks to her left and sure enough, the dim streetlights that line the gateway illuminate the area, evoking memories of London from Helga.

"I've never seen it that way before," she says, slight awe in her voice. "I actually miss that place."

"Hyde Park?" Alex asks, unsure of where she's referring to.

"The hotel," Helga corrects him, and gives him small nudge.

Alex smiles in spite of himself. "Gee, I wonder why…"

"Gee, how about I take it back?" Helga threatens, but has a light-hearted tone in her voice. A short silence fills the air as they continue walking, lost in their own thoughts. "I'm sorry about this morning," she says quietly, looking down at the pavement. "You know, about how I acted and greeted you and your family," she pauses, thinking a moment before adding, "And what I said before I left."

"It's okay." Alex's voice is subdued, as if remembering the events of this morning is painful, which to him is, because he genuinely thought Helga saw him as more than a friend. _I guess I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Who would fall for someone they just met? Oh right. Me._

"Alex?" Helga's voice penetrates his thoughts. He nods and murmurs in acknowledgement, not daring to look at her in case his eyes give away what he's thinking or how he's feeling. "I don't know how long you're gonna stick around, but I hope we can work out this friendship. You know, so we won't just lose contact when you leave."

Hearing the word 'friendship' almost kills him, but he keeps a cool exterior, not intending anyone to see how wounded he is by her words. "Yeah," he says, voice a bit shaky but covers it by clearing his throat. "It's not going to be a long stay, so I guess we should just make the most of it, huh?" He turns to her for a brief moment to smile, then looks forward again. A second longer and she would've noticed something wrong in his eyes. They wouldn't have the same sparkle she remembers seeing two years ago, or this morning, even. They'd just be empty.

Without anyone realizing except Phoebe and Gerald, Helga's house appears in the distance; it's time to say goodbye. "Look's like we're here already," Phoebe says, pulling the remaining three from their thoughts. Arnold feels a small stab of pain; he still needs to do something to make sure he and Helga are still good. They stop in front of her door and share a silent moment together. No one says it, but they all know what each other is thinking; they don't want to put a stop to tonight. It's just one of those times where all you want to do is stay with friends and be around people, not by yourself at night and have time to think over what happened throughout the day.

"It was nice to meet you, man," Gerald finally says and extends a hand towards Alex. He takes it and they shake hands firmly, sharing a moment of eye contact. In that moment, Alex knew. Gerald could sense how he feels about Helga and he isn't very happy with the idea, especially when his best friend feels the same way about her. But he doesn't give Alex a glare; just a look that says, "I hope you know what you're doing, because in the end one of you is going to lose and I hope for your sake you back out before it's too late." Alex doesn't know how he could get all of that from just one look, but he knows deep in his gut that that is what Gerald is thinking. The problem is, it might already be too late. Arnold or no Arnold, he can't help what he feels towards Helga.

Gerald could tell that this guy isn't going to back down. _Good luck, Arnold. Let's just hope Helga loves you more than him._

"Bye Helga," Phoebe says, feeling uncertain of whether leaving her now would be a good idea. Helga's tight smile tells her that she would be okay; they can talk about this tomorrow. The new couple turn to Arnold, expecting him to say his goodbyes before they leave in the direction of Phoebe's house next.

"You go ahead, I'll catch up in a minute," Arnold tells Gerald and Phoebe, who nod in understanding and leave. He glances at Helga briefly, and directs a meaningful look to Alex.

He gets the message. "I'll go in first and let my parents know I'm back," Alex says and slowly walks inside, despite how much he doesn't want to leave those two alone. He hesitates before closing the door and contemplates leaving it open, but is forced to when Helga says, "Don't leave the door open, it'll let in a draft." He leans against the door frame for a moment, feeling emptier than ever.

The next thing she knows, Helga is standing face to face with Arnold on her front porch, by herself. She doesn't know what's coming, but she's scared of what it might be.

Of what might come out of Arnold's mouth.

* * *

><p>(The last time I updated was exactly two months ago.)<p>

Okay, this is WAY overdue, and I'm so incredibly sorry about that. I perfectly understand if no one bothers to read this anymore, and for those who still do, I am eternally grateful. I have no proper excuse, except that life got in the way, but that's not very acceptable now is it? :/

Sorry again, and I do hope you guys who read this enjoyed the chapter. I know it's a cliffhanger, but hey; that's how I roll. It gives people something to look forward to.

Also, thank you for all the reviews and favouritings and chapter alertings! (I know those aren't real words, ignore that.) I really appreciate it, they just put a smile on my face. :)


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey! Arnold.

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><p>This is the second time tonight that Helga and Arnold have been face to face with each other, alone. This is also the second time Helga has the urge to just shake whatever he's thinking out of him. There are too many pauses, too many words left unspoken. <em>Why doesn't he just spit it out? Why drag out moments like this until he might just lose his train of thought?<em> _Why not just be honest with me?_ Helga finally breaks the silence first. "You know, every time you say you want to talk to me, you don't actually get a point across," she says and shrugs. "It's always just pointless chat."

"I realize that," Arnold says and nods his head solemnly. He's getting just as frustrated as Helga for not saying what he really wants to say. Helga needs to know what's on his mind, and he's determined to let her know right now. He just doesn't know how to put it into a proper sentence. "It's not like me to be so inarticulate," he mutters to himself, but the quiet of the night allowed Helga to hear it. She tilts her head sideways, looking at him with a puzzled expression. She waits patiently for him to continue, understanding that he needs time to sort out his thoughts.

After a while though, her patience is running thin. "I'm not getting any younger here, Arnold," she says softly, startling him from his thoughts.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that." He runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath. "Right, okay. Uh…" he trails off, losing the words he already had formed in his head. He shakes his head vigorously, then tries again. "So, um, you know how you mentioned earlier about uh…"

"About?" Helga prompts, slightly amused at how nervous Arnold is acting.

"About how Alex is just a f-friend to you?" He looks at her squarely in the eye. "That is how you see him, right? Just as a friend?" The hope in his voice is unmistakable, and he regrets not trying to cover it up more. Helga notices this and the amused expression on her face changes to one of confusion.

"Arnold, I thought we've been through this," she says slowly, as if explaining something to a five-year-old. "I told you, Alex and I are just friends. That's it. Nothing more."

"Right, right," Arnold nods his head and gathers his thoughts again. Yet another silence ensues, and it's driving Helga crazy.

"Arnold, just get to the point."

He looks at her with a resolution in his eyes. "Fine."

Helga blinked for just a second, but in the next moment she sees that Arnold has taken a step closer to her; too close, in fact. _What is he doing?_ Panic rises in her eyes, and for a split second Arnold almost backs away. But he doesn't and just continues to inch closer and closer, searching for a look in Helga's eyes that's telling him to stop and move away. Realizing what he's about to do, Helga stays completely still and watches him lean in. Their lips are just centimeters away when Arnold pauses and has a questioning look in his eyes, as if asking for permission. When she doesn't do or say anything, he finally closes the gap between them, eyes slowly closing and kisses her ever so softly on the lips.

At first Helga doesn't respond and Arnold instantly feels a rising panic in his stomach. But soon that panic dissipates and is replaced with a truckload of butterflies; she starts kissing back. His lips part slightly in a smile and he puts his arms around her waist. A giggle escapes Helga's mouth and before they know it they've stopped kissing and just contented themselves by holding each other close with their foreheads glued together.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he whispers and smiles contentedly.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for it to happen," she whispers back and both of them laugh, realizing that this could've happened sooner. _If only one of us had the guts to just say it out loud._ Though she never wants this moment to pass, she knows she can't make it stay this way forever. _If only._ "It's getting late," she says with disappointment in her voice.

Arnold's arms wrap tighter around Helga's waist. "I wish I didn't have to go," he says and sighs. "But I guess I have no choice, do I?" When Helga shakes her head slowly he gives her once more peck on the lips, just to keep himself happy for the night. He reluctantly lets go and takes a step back to look at her. She has a sad smile on her face, but the look in her eyes makes him start. She's looking at him in a way he's never seen before; it's as if she's not holding anything back.

In a way that is true; Helga doesn't feel like she needs to measure herself around Arnold anymore, not after what just happened. So she doesn't control the loving stare she's giving to Arnold. _It's about time he finally sees the way I've been looking at him for the past decade or so._

"Goodnight," he says and smiles, slowly retreating step by step.

"G'night Arnold," Helga replies with a timid smile, watching him with sad eyes as he gets farther and farther away from him. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely. First thing."

His answer makes the butterflies in Helga's stomach flutter even more, if that's even possible. "C-cool," she stutters out lamely and turns the knob on her door. Only Helga could make such a perfect moment turn for the worst by leaning against the door while she tries to open it and stumbles back clumsily when it swings open. "Smooth moves, Helga," she mutters to herself angrily and closes the door, careful not to slam it and disturb anyone in the house. She skips up the staircase and into her room in glee, so happy that she almost knocks over Sally in the process. "Whoops, sorry Sal," she says and flops onto her bed, forgetting to close her bedroom door.

"Are you okay?" Sally asks uncertainly, unsure of why Helga is so strangely happy and gets up from the mattress on the floor (since she has to stay in Helga's room for the night) to close the door.

"I'm good, very good. Love is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Helga says as Sally closes the door with a soft click. Neither of the two girls noticed Alex standing outside, having just come out of the bathroom.

_Love is a wonderful thing, isn't it?_ Those words would ring endlessly in Alex's head that night as he tries to sleep.

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><p>Okay, so I know this is suuuper short, but I just had to get this out of the way and continue on with the next day (or something like that). Either way, I couldn't think of a way to make this chapter longer, plus I didn't want to drag out the night longer that it already has been anyway. So, hope this chapter wasn't that much of a bummer. At least one good thing came out of it, right? ;) Unless you're rooting for Alex, in which case the worst thing has happened.<p>

P.S. Sorry I haven't been updating as often as used to (at one point I actually updated everyday) but school has started for a while now for me and right now I'm actually in the middle of my trial exams which are very, very important, mind you. But that's no excuse (since I'm here now anyway, shouldn't I be studying? Pfft, screw it) so I am terribly sorry.

Also, thank you for reviewing and favouriting and all that jazz. Thank you also to whoever has been reading this and still is. You guys are so beyond awesome. :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or any other recognisable characters other than my own.**

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><p>"You know you want some, Helga," Alex taunts her, waving the ice cream cone in front of her face.<p>

"Yeah, if you would just give it to me already," she replies, reaching out for it only to have Alex pull away and lick from it himself. "Ugh, I knew we should've bought separate ones," she says and crosses her arms over her chest, head tilting sideways. "I wonder if that ice cream man is still around."

"Oh, no. I'm not letting you buy another one," Alex says, taking Helga's hand into his free one and pulling her towards him.

"And why not?" Helga asks, a defiant tone in her voice. She couldn't help it though; a wide smile breaks out on her face as she gets closer to him and seeing how the edges of his mouth are smudged with ice cream. "You eat ice cream like a 5-year-old."

"I've always been a kid at heart," Alex says and shrugs, pulling her closer still. "Wanna clean my mouth for me?" he asks, eyebrow twitching up and smirking.

"_Gross_."

Helga and Alex turn their heads toward the source of the third voice and see Sally standing a few feet away, a look of disgust on her face. "Do you guys have to act like that here? _In public_?" She turns away and walks down the sidewalk. "Get a room," she says over her shoulder. Helga stood paralyzed, face red from embarrassment.

"She has a point," Helga says in a small voice, taking a step back from Alex. She looks up to his face to see him pouting, robbed of a potential kiss. She laughs and steps forward again to hug him. "Don't worry, we can kiss all we want later."

Alex shakes his head slowly. "I'm not a very patient person, Helga. You should know that by now," he says and leans down to kiss her gently. He feels her smile against his lips and lets out a laugh. They pull apart, and Helga's eyes are closed. She opens them slowly and sees Alex staring lovingly at her, a goofy smile on his face.

"You should wipe that grin off your face, it might get stuck there," she says teasingly.

"I wouldn't mind, it drives girls nuts," he replied, laughing. "But the only one I want to impress is you."

"Save the cheesy lines for a girl who'd fall for it and eat your ice cream already." Helga rolls her eyes and takes a step back. "Why can't I get my own again?"

"Because then I can't do this," he says and slowly feeds her the ice cream he's holding. "Sharing is caring, remember?" He wipes off a bit of ice cream that got on her nose and gently kisses it.

"Are you just going to smother me with kisses all day?" Helga asks, blushing at how shamelessly he's showing affection.

"If you don't say no, I will."

Helga just smiles and keeps her mouth shut.

* * *

><p>Helga's eyes slowly drift open as sunlight pours through her window. She sits up on her bed and rubs her eyes, looking around the room. On the floor she sees Sally, still sleeping soundly.<p>

_Sally…_ Helga's brow furrows; and suddenly she remembers the dream she had the night before. For a moment she smiles, feeling warm and fuzzy inside at the thought; only to have the feeling replaced with a sense of guilt. _I shouldn't have had that dream. I shouldn't be thinking about Alex that way. I definitely shouldn't be having dreams about me kissing him. Numerous times. Well, technically he's the one who kissed me but still. That should not have happened. It shouldn't have. What about Arnold? We kissed for real. That wasn't a dream, right?_ For a split second Helga panics, thinking that maybe the kiss she shared with Arnold really was a dream. _No, no that was real. I know it was real. I didn't dream that up. I've had dreams of kissing Arnold for years; that wasn't a dream._ She starts to calm down, clutching the locket she has under her shirt. She smiles again, this time because of remembering the short moment of bliss she had with Arnold last night.

A knock on her door startles her from her thoughts, and wakes up Sally as well. The little girl stretches her arms and yawns, before slowly getting up. "Good morning, Helga," she says cheerily. Helga just smiled and nods in reply. The knocking on her door continues. "I'll get it," Sally says and moves to open the door. "Oh, Alex!" she exclaims, making Helga feel a rush of panic and she quickly pulls her blanket up to her chin.

"Morning, Sally," his deep voice fills the room. Helga could feel the blood rush to her cheeks; though she doesn't understand why. _That should not be happening. Crimeny, Helga what the heck is wrong with you?_ "Mom told me to call you down for breakfast, and Helga too." He pauses for a moment. "Is she awake yet?"

"Yeah, of course she is!" Sally says and opens the door wider. "She's right there! Oh, Helga. Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine," Helga says quickly. "Why'd you ask?"

"Well, your face is all red," the little blonde girl says bluntly.

Helga's eyes widen, and she feels the blush on her face grow a deeper shade of red. "Uh, no I'm fine," she stutters out. "Hey Alex," she greets the tall boy standing in the doorway timidly. "Tell everyone I'll be down in a minute."

"Me too!" Sally interjects, standing in between Helga's bed and the doorway. "Tell Mom I need to brush my teeth first and everything."

"Yeah, sure," Alex says coolly, moving his gaze from Helga to his little sister. "Don't take too long, Squirt." He lightly ruffles her hair and walks off. Sally doesn't close the door straight away, instead she leaves the room to use the bathroom. Once alone, Helga breathes a sigh a relief. I feel so confused. Why? I shouldn't be. Get a grip, Helga. Get. A. Grip. She slaps cheeks lightly, closing her eyes and sighing some more. She stops when she hears Sally returning from the bathroom.

"Aren't you going to get dressed?" she asks, passing by Helga's bedroom door and poking her head in. "I think I smell pancakes."

"You go ahead. I'll be down soon," Helga replies, putting on a fake smile to get rid of her. The little girl finally walks away, leaving Helga to slump back into bed and stare at the ceiling for a few minutes. She begrudgingly gets up again when she hears her mother calling out her name from the bottom of the staircase. "Yeah, yeah I'm coming already!" She slowly walks to the bathroom, taking her time as to avoid sitting at the table full of people very long. _Hopefully, by the time I get down there everyone's done eating and gone to do their own business._ The thought makes Helga smile bitterly. _And I used to think I would've liked to eat breakfast like a normal family._

As she makes her way down to the kitchen, she could hear the voices of the people talking over breakfast drifting up to her. At first she doesn't bother listening, but Alex's subdued reply makes her pause mid-step and tune in to the conversation they're having.

"Alex, don't be rude," Alex's mother scolds. "Sit up straight and answer Mr. Pataki properly."

"Sorry," Helga could hear Alex mutter before a chair scrapes across the floor gently. "I was just thinking of walking around the neighbourhood today."

"What would you want to do that for?" Bob's loud voice booms around the house. "There's nothing interesting to see around here." He pauses. "Well, if you really want to then tell Helga to show you around." Helga widens her eyes, first in surprise but then she shifts to anger. _The nerve of that guy! He didn't even ask if I wanted to! Pfft, like Bob would care what I wanted anyway._

"No," Alex says hurriedly, which makes Helga feel slightly sad. She realizes what she just felt and shakes it off without another thought. "There's no need to bother her. I can make do by myself."

"Nonsense," Mr. Robinson said. "You should go with Helga. You said you two were friends already, so why not?"

A short pause in the conversation makes Helga think that everyone at the table is waiting for Alex to answer. A part of her thinks that maybe he's frantically thinking of a reason to get out of spending the day with her. _But why should I be worried about that? Didn't I just get mad at Bob for suggesting it in the first place? Get a grip, Helga. Stop contradicting yourself._

"I just thought that it's not necessary to have someone babysit me," Alex says with an edge to his voice. "And I don't want to bother her if she'd rather spend her time with someone else."

"Watch your tongue, young man," Mrs. Robinson reprimands him. "Learn to use the proper tone when speaking to your elders." Alex doesn't say anything in return, be it an apology or a nasty retort that would've gotten him into trouble. Helga still doesn't make it a point to show herself, still on the staircase and hidden from view. She doesn't want to face anyone right now. The adults must be sore because of his disrespectful tone. Sally must be sitting there awkwardly and not knowing what to do. Alex seems to be pissed, whether from being treated like a kid or some other reason, she couldn't be sure. _Why did he have to put it that way?_ Then it suddenly strikes her. _Does he know about happened between Arnold and me?_ Helga shakes her head, as if willing the thought to go away. _No, even if he did, why should it matter? Am I really that pompous to believe that he might like me too?_ She scoffs at the thought. _Don't be so full of yourself, Helga._

"Well, not that I was implying that you need a babysitter," Mr. Robinson continues as if his wife didn't scold Alex, thus creating the terse silence. "I thought that you'd like to spend more time with her. We're leaving in a few days, and it's not as if these visits are going to happen very often."

Alex pauses, as if considering his father's words. He sighs after a moment and says, "If you really want me to hang out with Helga today, then fine. But only if she doesn't mind," he adds as an afterthought.

"Where is Helga anyway?" Sally asks.

_I guess that's my cue._ "I'm here," Helga says loud enough for them to hear, making her way down the rest of the stairs and takes a seat at the table. She smiles apologetically. "Sorry I'm late." No one says anything in return, to Helga's relief. _At least Miriam isn't throwing a fit._

A silence fills the room while everyone eats their breakfast, either because they don't know what to talk about or are simply refusing to address the elephant in the room. _If I didn't know better, I'd say they finally ran out words to speak. But of course, that's not the case._ She could sense Sally's eyes darting from face to face, probably trying to guess who would break the silence first. _Well, it's definitely not going to be me._

"So, Helga," Mr. Robinson says suddenly, making everyone jump at the sound. "Alex told us he's planning to explore the neighbourhood today. What's your plan?" His tone is light and cheerful, and the question rolls off his tongue smoothly as if he asks the same thing every morning._ Now that I think about it, maybe he does ask this question every morning._ She glances at Alex. _I know I'd be fed up if someone asked me that every day. Maybe that explains why he was so angry before._ Mr. Robinson looks at Helga expectantly, as does everyone at the table except Alex.

"Uh…" Helga trails off, not knowing what to answer. The truth is, even she doesn't know what to do for the day. "I haven't really thought about it yet," she replies slowly and shrugs. "Maybe I'll stay home and watch a DVD or something."

"Go with Alex," her father says, and not in a way that makes someone think it's a suggestion. No, it sounds more like an order. Helga could feel her anger flare up at being told what to do. She opens her mouth, but closes it again when Alex speaks up too.

"You don't have to," he says, glancing at her for a second before returning his gaze to the plate in front of him.

Something about his tone makes her start. She doesn't know why, but suddenly the words are out of her mouth before she could stop them. "I'll go with you. I don't mind."

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><p><strong>Okay, this is completely, ridiculously overdue and I'm incredibly sorry. I really am. I could blame it on the fact that I haven't had very good internet connection for a while, but that's no excuse. I know I said I would write more and update more often after I finished my exams, and I'm sorry for not keeping my word on that. I'll try my best, but let me warn you that I may or may not be updating again soon.<strong>

**In any case, thank so so so much for all the reviews and favourites that you guys have given me. I really appreciate that people take time to read this even though it's not the best you can find out here. I love you guys to bits, and don't ever forget that. :)**

**Also, if anyone is pissed at the lack of Arnold in this chapter, I'd like to point out that though I am a Helga/Arnold shipper, I feel like Alex needs to play a part in this (but that may be because of my own biased opinions). Also, the majority of this fic is centred around Helga, even though there are times when it's in another character's point of view. In other words, Helga's the main one here. So expect an absence of Arnold once in a while.**

**(In which the author's note is longer than the actual fic.) I'm sorry! I'll try and update as soon as I can. In the meantime, thoughts? Reviews? Ideas? It might help move the story along.**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!

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><p><em>What made me say that? 'I don't mind'? Well, technically I don't actually mind but still! Why is this even a big deal anyway? Why am I panicking? Oh, wait. It's not panic I'm feeling. It's guilt, isn't it? Yup, guilt. You're feeling guilty for agreeing to spend the day with Alex. Why should that make me feel that way? It's not a date or anything. I'm just showing him around the neighbourhood. No big deal. Maybe I'd feel better if I told Arnold about this. <em>

_But why should I? He's not my boyfriend. Technically we're not anything right now. Even though we kissed. But does kissing really mean we're together? I don't know. Besides, I have a feeling if I told Arnold he'd be pissed. Why would he, though? I told him so many times that Alex and I are just friends._

_We are friends. That is it. Nothing more. So stop feeling guilty about hanging out with your friend. You do not see Alex that way._

…_right?_

_Right. So stop thinking about how nice he looks today. Don't think about how his blond hair sort of just covers his eyes and he has to run his hand through it every few minutes. He should cut his hair. It's longer than I remembered. Then again, last time I saw him we were only twelve. A lot of things change over the years. Like his height._

_Why is he so tall? It makes me feel like a hobbit. But it is hard to find a guy who's taller than me, though. Get a grip Helga! Stop it. Stop thinking about how he's conveniently taller than you. See? You just contradicted yourself. First you said he was too tall, and now he's the perfect height. Get. A. Grip._

_Oh, god. Why does his laugh have to be so infectious? Every time I hear it it's like I need to laugh with him. I can't even help it. Now I sound like a giggly airhead. Good job, Helga. But I really can't stop myself from laughing with him. His laughter is so deep and musical; I could listen to it all day._

_Crimeny, Helga do I have to slap myself?_

_It's interesting how animated he gets when I ask him about why he does certain things. He's pretty passionate about exploring this neighbourhood. I can't see why, though. But the more he explains it, the more I feel like I actually want to know about this place. How can that be? I've been living here for sixteen years and I've never felt like this before. Now after seeing those amazing blue eyes just get a spark of life that I'd never seen before talk about how fun it would be to get to know this neighbourhood, I feel like I've been missing out on something. Oh, no. I've been staring. And he noticed. Crap._

_Uhh… what do I answer to that? I can't say I enjoy staring at him. Or looking into his eyes. No. I can't just say something like that. That's not appropriate. He'd get the wrong message._

…_which is what, exactly?_

_God, I'm so confused. He still needs an answer. Lie. Lie, Helga, make up an excuse!_

'_Fascinated'? Now you sound like a freak. Well done, girl. You win all the awards for eloquence. Oh, please wipe that smirk off you face, Alex. I'm getting the urge to punch your lights out and that's not gonna end well if this gets back to your parents. But his eyes…_

_NO. Stop thinking about his eyes. You do not think about those deep, swirling pools of blue that you can just get lost in, Helga. It's a spell for disaster. You're gonna fall head over heels for this guy and then what?_

_Is that really a bad thing, though? I mean, it's not as if there's anything bad about him. He's nice. He's sweet. He makes me laugh. He's smart._

_But so is Arnold. Great, now I feel guilty again._

_Wait. I know that voice. Do I really want to turn the corner and see who's there? Please, no. Please don't let it be…_

_Crap. Arnold. Smile Helga, SMILE AND DON'T LOOK GUILTY. Well, don't look arrogant either, jeesh. Say hi. Be polite. Act like what happened yesterday meant something to you. Don't act like you're suddenly switching to Team Alex. Which you're not, by the way. _

…_right?_

_What's with that look he's giving? Don't tell me he's mad. He has nothing to be mad about! Or is that jealousy? Could be neither, could be both. Either way, I can't handle this right now. I can't handle like liking one guy but still be confused about the other. Not when both of them look at each other like they're competing in some stupid game._

…_which I'm the prize of?_

_Hell no. Alex doesn't see me that way. Arnold, maybe, if that kiss was any indication. But not Alex. No. We're just friends._

…_why do I feel kinda sad when I think of it that way?_

_Crap. What have you gotten yourself into, Helga?_

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><p>I realise that this chapter is short, to say the least. I can tell you right now that the next one will be longer. (I hope. I'm working on it!)<p>

In the meantime, I would like to know what you think of this chapter. It's not the way I normally write, but I couldn't imagine writing this any other way (plus I wanted to see how it plays out when you only know Helga' s way of seeing events unfold. Like, literally. I don't know if what I said made sense). So my point is, thoughts? Does it suck? I really would like to know, because I think I won't be writing any more chapters like this if no one likes it. Personally I find it a bit weird and confusing. If you think this makes Helga sound like a bimbo, tell me! That is not how I want her to come across as.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold.**

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><p><em>I can't believe she said yes. Then again, maybe she's just being nice. Dad was right; we're not going to be here long and not going to visit often either I should make the most of the time we have left.<em>

_Even though it's not going to end up the way I would've liked._

"So, ready to go? Helga asks, pulling Alex from his thoughts. He smiles a little, focusing his eyes on her.

"Yeah, I am," he says and gets up from his chair. Everyone else at the table watches them silently as they leave, except Sally who cheerily says goodbye to their retreating figures. Alex turns around when she speaks and smiles. "I'll see you later, Squirt. Have fun today."

"You too!" she replies and turns to her parents. "So, what _are _we going to do?" she asks with a curious expression. Her parents exchange a look; one that clearly says they know they're supposed to take her somewhere 'fun' by the little girl's standards. The idea doesn't seem to please them.

Alex suppresses a chuckle, making Helga give him a questioning look. He nods towards the door, indicating that they should step outside first before he explains. She shrugs and leas the way. Once outside, she folds her arms, waiting for his answer. "Whenever Sally says something like that it means she wants to go shopping."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Helga says.

"Not when it comes to her. When she shops, she buys everything." He pauses. "And I do mean everything. I'm surprised we're not broke yet." He shrugs and starts walking down the street. Helga follows suit and walks next to him, matching his stride.

"Well, if your parents don't like taking her shopping, then why do they still do it?" she asks distractedly, staring off into the distance.

"Because then she'll start throwing tantrums. It's better to lose money through shopping rather than listening to her complain and scream out of frustration all day. It gets really annoying. She's persistent, too. She'll keep asking to go every five minutes until they give in. They always do, eventually. I guess they couldn't stand it for very long." He chuckles. "I know I'd give in after the first ten minutes."

"Really that annoying, huh?" Helga asks, scrunching up her face as she thinks of something.

"Very," he says and laughs. Helga joins him for a moment before abruptly stopping and glancing away, suddenly distant. His smile falters a little, pretends he doesn't notice. _Did I say something wrong?_ He feels like asking, but doesn't know how to phrase a proper question without sounding awkward. _How would I ask about something like that? 'Hey, why do you suddenly seem distant? I thought we were doing okay just now.' It'll probably just make her uncomfortable, and embarrassing on my part for even bringing it up._

They walk down the pavement in silence for a few minutes. Alex starts feeling awkward and runs his hand through his hair nervously. The golden locks just fall back over his eyes, hiding his increasingly furrowed brow. _I need to say something. Anything._

"So…" he says, startling Helga from her own thoughts. "What's interesting in this neighbourhood?"

"Nothing," she automatically says and shrugs. "It's a regular neighbourhood with regular people and regular sights. Why'd you want to explore it so much?"

"I didn't," he blurts out before he could stop himself. Helga gives him a questioning look. He sighs, deciding to come clean. "I just said that so the adults would stop pestering me about it," he admits. "I figured that if I said I had plans, then they wouldn't drag me off to do something I don't want to do."

"And you'd rather spend the day walking around a boring old neighbourhood and doing nothing?" Helga cuts in, sounding skeptical.

"Walking around is something," he says defensively. _Plus I get to spend more time with you. _But he stops himself from saying that out loud. When Helga still looks skeptical, he sighs and shrugs his shoulders. "Believe what you want, I'm sticking to my story. Walking around a neighbourhood you've never been to can be fun. I mean, it's basically exploring a new place. There's a lot I don't know about the history here, or the people who live here. Why did they choose to move to this particular place? Did the townhouses appeal to their tastes? Is the crime rate here so low that people feel safe to walk around and go about their daily lives without fear for their safety, or their children's for that matter? I see a lot of kids just walking around with no adult supervision, which is quite rare in these troublesome times. Is there a neighbourhood watch? It seems to me like everyone here knows each other, since they greet each other somewhat warmly when they pass by someone or see a bunch of kids playing on the street—"

"You talk a lot," she interrupts, making Alex pause mid-sentence to look at her. She has a calculating look on her face, as figuring out something about him that she didn't see before.

"I guess I do," Alex says and smiles. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No," she says quickly and looks away. "I just didn't picture you to be the talkative type."

"You're kidding me, right?"

She looks at him again. "What?"

"We talked for hours when we first met," he states. "How could you not notice that I talk a lot?"

"I don't know," she says quietly. "I guess I didn't really think about it."

"So why are you thinking about it now?" As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he wishes he didn't say it. _Maybe I don't want to know the answer to that question._ _What if she's trying to tell me to shut up because she thinks I talk too much and therefore annoying?_ "Helga?" he tries to catch her attention when he notices her staring into space.

"Well…" she trails off uncertainly, making Alex think that she's looking for a way to cushion whatever it is that's actually on her mind. "I guess there are some things you don't notice when you're younger, even if it was only two years ago. I mean, back then I had my fair share of talking too, so I guess I didn't realize how much you were talking. Now, since I prefer to listen than talk, I guess something just clicked." She grimaces. "Did that make any sense? Sorry, I'm rambling."

"No, I understand. I get like that sometimes, too. It's like everything I want to say makes sense in my head, but once said out loud it doesn't sound so reasonable anymore. You'd be surprised how much people do understand another person's ramblings, even though it doesn't seem like it to the speaker. That being said, I try to avoid talking about things I don't know how to explain, since it would somehow lead up to a bout of my own rambling." He pauses. "Kind of like what's happening now," he says and chuckles. When Helga doesn't say anything, he turns his head to look at her, only to find that she's staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face. "What?"

"What?" she asks in return, as if snapping back to reality.

"Why are you just staring at me like that?" he asks, exasperated. _She does want me to shut up, doesn't she?_

"No reason," she says quickly and looks away again. Alex just keeps his gaze on her, unimpressed by her answer. She caves in, sighing. "I'm just… fascinated."

"Fascinated," he repeats, highly amused. He looks away, trying to hide the smirk on his face and stopping the laughter threatening to burst out. _Interesting answer._ They keep walking down the street in silence, and Alex takes the time off from talking to look at his surroundings. _I guess Helga was right; there's nothing very special about this place. But it has… character. I wouldn't mind living here._ As they turn the corner, Alex hears a couple of voices on the other side. Helga stops abruptly, eyes widening. "What's wrong?" he asks worriedly and stops alongside her. A few seconds later, Arnold walks around the sharp curve of the street with a girl talking animatedly with him.

"Helga," Arnold says, surprise in his voice. His gaze shifts between Helga and Alex and unconsciously narrows his eyes. "Hey," he greets the taller blond, nodding his head slightly.

"Hi," Alex says in return, and smiles a little for Helga's sake. He knows what's going on between them. Maybe he doesn't know what exactly transpired the night before, but he knows _something_ happened.

"Hello, Helga," the girl next to Arnold speaks up, drawing Alex's attention. "It's oh-so wonderful to see you here." The redhead smiles brightly in Helga's direction before moving her attention to Alex. "And who are you? My name's Lila." She extends a hand towards him, which he slowly shakes.

"I'm Alex," he says and smiles in a friendly manner. "Nice to meet you, Lila."

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine," she says and giggles.

Alex doesn't quite know why, but he finds the girl's behaviour… annoying. _She's too bubbly. It's not natural._

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><p>Arnold let's Lila chat with Alex, quietly stepping away from her and moving closer to Helga. "Hi," he says and smiles at her.<p>

"Hi," she says with a sad smile on her face.

"What's wrong?" Arnold asks, unknowingly echoing what Alex asked just a minute ago. He sees something flicker across her face, but it's gone before he could say anything about it.

Helga just shrugs. "Nothing," she answers offhandedly. "Where were you going with Lila?"

Arnold shifts uncomfortably, feeling that his answer wouldn't be to Helga's liking. After last night, he doesn't quite know where they stand at the moment. "Well, she asked me if I wanted to grab some brunch with her, so I said yes."

"Oh," Helga says faintly, nodding slightly and glancing in Lila's direction. Arnold scrutinizes her expression, not expecting her to be so… indifferent about it.

"So… you're not mad?" he asks cautiously.

"No," she answers after a moment. She smirks, raising an eyebrow at him. "Should I be?"

Arnold relaxes a little, seeing Helga back to her old self a bit and smiles, though slightly confused. "No, I guess not."_ I was supposed to see you first thing this morning, but looks like you've forgotten about that._

A moment of silence falls between the two.

"…we should talk about what happened last night," Arnold finally says. Helga nods slowly, agreeing with him. She glances in Lila and Alex's direction again before speaking up.

"We should. I mean, we have to clear up stuff and all."

Arnold nods and smiles. "Right. So how about we have dinner soon? We can talk then."

Helga smiles at him. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"How about this—"

"Arnold?" Lila interrupts him. He and Helga turn their heads towards her. "We should go…" she trails off, glancing at Alex. Her face lights up as if an idea came to her. "I know! Why don't Alex and Helga join us? It would be oh-so much fun—"

"No," Helga deadpans.

"I wouldn't want to intrude…" Alex says apologetically, shaking his head softly and raising the palms of his hand a bit.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Arnold tells Lila. "I mean, I'm sure they already had plans for today, since Alex isn't going to be here long?" he directs the question to Helga, not too keen on talking to Alex at this point, let alone sit through brunch with the guy.

"Uh, yeah," Helga says, nodding. "I guess you could say that."

Alex nods as well and smiles. "I'm just visiting for a few days," he explains to Lila. "I'll be leaving soon so Helga's showing me around while we still have time."

"Oh, that's so nice of you, Helga!" the bubbly redhead says and brings her hands together.

"Yeah, I'm a saint," the blonde replies and smirks. The other two boys try to hide their smiles at her sarcastic tone, and at how Lila doesn't seem to notice it.

"Well then," Lila says, looking at Alex now. He tries to keep a straight face. "I suppose we should leave you two while Arnold and I be on our way."

Helga's facial expression falls a little, which doesn't go unnoticed by both of the boys.

"Maybe I'll see you before you leave?" Lila asks hopefully, looking at Alex with puppy-dog eyes.

"Maybe," Alex says and smiles politely. "It was nice meeting you, Lila."

She giggles. "Like I said, the pleasure was all mine," she assures him and turn to Arnold. "Come on, Arnold. I'm starting to get really hungry."

"O-Okay," Arnold says and nods. He turns to Helga. "I'll call you about the…" he casts a glance at Alex and brings his eyes back to Helga again. "…thing, okay?"

Helga nods, smiling at Arnold briefly before focusing her attention on the pavement. In no way is she going to look at Alex right now. It would make everything seem so much more uncomfortable for her. For everyone, really, except Lila who remains oblivious to the slight tension in the air.

* * *

><p><strong>I apologise profusely for not updating sooner. I have no excuses give. I can only ask for forgiveness.<strong>

**Needless to say, the previous chapter was a total disaster and I can tell you now that such an embarrassment like that will not be posted up in future. That being said, this chapter is basically the previous one, but explained in detail. I don't even know what was going through my head when I wrote that one. *headdesk* Such a fail.**

**Anyway, thank you to those who are still reading this, you deserve all the praise and love and hugs in the world. I am mentally transferring an image of myself hugging all of you. _All of you._**

**I'll try to update again soon, but I don't know when as I am waiting for my parents to give me a new laptop. The old one doesn't want to connect to the internet anymore and currently I am using my sister's one. I refuse to write on this laptop in fear that she would read this. I sincerely do not want that to happen.**

**And I realise this author's note is getting ridiculously long. I'm sorry!**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: **I do not own Hey Arnold!**

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><p>The house is empty when they get back. Helga couldn't help but feel the slight awkwardness between her and Alex - and who wouldn't? They hardly said anything after the run-in with Arnold and Lila. She sighs as they walk through the door.<p>

"So..." Alex begins, but trails off into a short silence. He doesn't know what to say. "That was... a nice walk," he finishes lamely and grimaces. _You're a real smooth talker_. "Wait here," he says, idea forming in his head. "Just a second." She looks at him in mild surprise as he dashes up the stairs and disappears around the corner.

"S-sure," she manages to stutter out, rooted to the spot. I wonder what that's about. She shakes her head slightly and is startled when the phone rings. Butterflies suddenly flutter in her stomach; maybe it's Arnold?

"Hello?"

"Helga!" says a small voice.

"Oh, hey Pheebs." The butterflies go away and Helga's body relaxes a little. "What's up?"

"Gerald told me something happened between you and Arnold yesterday." A pause. "Well?" she asks expectantly.

"Well, what?" Helga says, almost defensively. She hears a sigh on the other end. "Listen, Pheebs. It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that..." She trails off, unsure of what to say. "I uh… I need to settle stuff first."

"What kind of stuff?" Phoebe asks, somewhat impatiently. _This isn't like her._ As if realizing how her tone must've sounded like, she says apologetically, "I'm just a bit vexed because you didn't tell me after it happened, whatever it is. I had to hear it from Gerald, which meant that Arnold told him already. I don't know."

Guilt washes over Helga as she understands what Phoebe was trying to say. "I'm sorry, Pheebs. I'll tell you what happened, I really will," she promises. "But after I talk to Arnold about something. It's important. Then, I'll tell you everything, from A to Z."

"Okay," she says, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "I'll talk to you later, then. Bye!"

"Bye," Helga says as she hears a click and the line goes dead. She puts the receiver down and contemplates if she should call Arnold or not. Deep in thought, she doesn't notice Alex coming down the stairs until he's right in front of her.

"Helga?" He tries to grab her attention. She doesn't seem to hear him. "Helga?" He tries again, waving a hand in front of her face. Her eyes start to focus and she turns her head towards his, looking startled. "Staring into space, are we?" Alex asks with a smirk.

"Oh, I was thinking," she says smoothly. "You know, something we smart people do all the time. It just comes naturally to me." She raises her eyebrows at him with a smug look on her face.

"And what exactly was the oh-so great thinker thinking about?"

Helga's smirk freezes and her words get stuck in her throat for a moment. "Things you can't possibly fathom." She finally says and quickly walks away from him and into the kitchen. Alex is left in the corridor, staring after her.

"What?" he blurts out, confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, you see, if I told you, that defeats the purpose," Helga says loudly from the kitchen.

Alex hears the sound of the refrigerator opening. "What purpose, exactly?" he asks, playing along with whatever Helga is trying to pull. He enters the kitchen and sits at the table. Helga pulls out a carton of milk and grabs a glass as well.

"Shh." She puts a finger to her lips. "Spoilers," she says and pours some milk into her glass. Alex just rolls his eyes. "Cookie?" she offers, pushing a cookie jar that was already on the table towards him.

He shakes his head. "No, thanks. Maybe later." He watches her as she shrugs and takes a cookie for a herself, dunking it in the glass and slowly eating it. "Do you have to eat it like that?" he suddenly asks, amused.

"Like what?"

"Biting small bits of the cookie off. I'd just devour the whole thing in two bites, and even that's pushing it."

Helga smiles. "I like enjoying my food, thank you very much. Savouring every little piece of it. You should see me with a chocolate fudge cake."

"I bet you take ages."

"I sure do." She reaches out for another cookie but Alex takes the jar away. "Hey!" she exclaims, brow furrowing. Alex just laughs, still holding onto the cookie jar. "Not that it's any of your business, but I was just about to eat another one of those."

"But I have something better for you," Alex says and takes something out of his pocket — a small, lilac packet with a red bow on it.

"What's th—" Helga begins but is cut off when the phone rings again. "One minute," she says and goes to pick up the phone. "Hello?"

"Helga, hi." The voice is unmistakable. Helga's stomach is filled with butterflies again. "Sorry about just now… I really was meaning to call you this morning but then she showed up at my doorstep and, well, asked for my help with something. And it kinda dragged on until lunch and then we bumped into you and—"

"Arnold," Helga says, stopping him. "It's not a big deal. Chill." She hears a sigh of relief on the other end. "You still owe me something, though. Don't forget."

"Exactly. So I was wondering if we could talk it out over dinner tonight," he says. "Get everything cleared up, and out of the way. Sounds good?"

"Sounds good," she agrees.

"Great." Helga could almost hear the smile in his voice. It makes her heart flutter and she smiles herself. "So I'll pick you up at seven?"

"It's a date," Helga says without thinking, and immediately freezes after realizing what she just said. "Uh— I mean… It's—"

"A date it is," Arnold says and laughs. "Glad to hear it. I'll see you later, Helga. Bye."

"B-bye." She puts down the receiver, a bit numb. And excited. Also nervous. _Get a grip, Helga. It's just a date. With Arnold. Not that you haven't done it before. Well, it wasn't called a date before and he thought you were French but hey it was still a date. You can do this._

"So I guess that means it's just me and Sally tonight," a voice behind her says and she jumps. Helga turns around and sees Alex standing there, purple packet in hand. He passes it to her. "It was a gift I bought for you all those years ago. I figured that maybe I had just enough time to sneak away from my parents and give it to you before we left, but never got the chance." He shrugs. "I don't know why I kept it, but there you go."

Helga looks at the packet, stunned. "But… why?"

Alex smiles bitterly. "Really, Helga? I think you know the answer to that question," he says and walks past her. She hears the front door open, then close.

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><p><strong>*Apologizes profusely* Daaaang I haven't updates in <em>ages<em>. I'm so incredibly sorry for abandoning this. I can't even begin to express how sorry I am. I've just been busy, that's all. So busy, in fact, that I've forgotten all about this! Anyway, thank you so so very oh so very very much for those who still bother to read, or have been patiently waiting, or anything of the sort for the entire time. Thank you so much, you guys deserve all the love in the world and more. And also deserve more quality writing than this. But I can't do anything about that so...**


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